


Club 81

by MidnightRain19



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Clubbing, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Sex Club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:20:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 106,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27417907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightRain19/pseuds/MidnightRain19
Summary: AU Hinata gulped, flustering at the warmth of Naruto's breath on her ear, the guise of the club's shadows keeping them perfectly hidden. "Don't be nervous Hinata, we may act as strangers during the day, but at night we're lovers." Epilogue: Did Bolt really want to know the meaning behind that old Club 81 photo of his parents? Probably not, but it could make for the perfect prank...
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 14





	1. Breathe

Club 81

Chapter 1: Breathe 

"Come on Hinata, it's your 21st birthday! Surely you didn't think we were just going to let you spend it sitting at your apartment all day long!" Sakura chimed out, reaching out to gently tug at her arm.

"Sakura's right Hinata; the semester is at last over and we finally have a free night to party and hang out with the others; you have to come along considering it's all for you!" Ino added in.

Hinata drummed her fingers against her desk nervously, glancing between Sakura and Ino's equally pouty expressions. She always started to cave in when they gave her those looks…

"…I guess we can go out for a bit since you're doing it for me, but what's the name of this place you two want to take me to so badly anyways?" Hinata questioned.

Sakura's jade green eyes lit up at her interest, sneaking a look towards Ino who grinned just as eagerly at the prospect of what was to come.

"I'm sure you've heard us mention it before. It's that relatively new club that opened up on 81st street, hence the name club 81." Sakura explained.

"Given the rumors I've heard about said club, maybe they should change their name to a different more appropriate number though…" Ino trailed off snickering before Sakura elbowed her to hush.

Hinata silently watched the two avidly speak of the club's amenities and offers. It was supposedly one of the hottest new clubs that had opened up within Konoha's nightlife district in the past month, but whether that was for the parties they held or something else entirely she had yet to find out. 'I've never even been out to a club now that I think about it.'

Ino clapped her hands delightfully as she broke her away from her thoughts. "Oh, this is so exciting Hinata! We should head to the mall and get some cocktail gowns for the big event."

Hinata only stared blankly at her, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Um, not to sound rude, but what's wrong with the dresses I already have?"

Sakura laughed lightly, getting up from her position on Hinata's bed to inspect her closet. "Hmm, what you have in here is nice Hinata, but we want to make sure you're standing out enough that you'll be able to impress even him if he shows up!"

Confusion turned into embarrassment at her words, lilac eyes widened as her cheeks burned in realization.

"E-Even if I did dress provocatively; I don't think it that should be the way to get Naruto's attention! Besides, he-" Hinata was abruptly cut off as Ino wagged a finger in front of her face.

"It's not a matter of 'if' but more so 'when'. Tonight is not about just celebrating your birthday Hinata; it's also to help you get out of your comfort zone." Ino stated coolly.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, patting Hinata's shoulders reassuringly. "Don't worry, you're going to have a great time, we'll make sure of it!

-oOo-

'It's short, it's much too short.' Hinata repeated over and over in her head, trying in vain to push the black dress down to no avail.

A brief knocking on the door made her pause in her actions as she heard Sakura's voice ring out. "Hinata, is everything okay in there? You haven't said a word since we handed you those 3 dresses to try on."

"I'm coming, just give me a minute to finish zipping up." She hurriedly called back, sighing as she finally stepped out of the changing room.

Sakura and Ino smiled at her in awe, motioning for Hinata to turn to give them a full-body view. While it might not have been Hinata's usual style of clothing, the short strapless evening gown truly knew how to accentuate her curves and bust.

"You guys don't think this is showing a bit much or no?" Hinata asked, breaking the silence uncertainly.

Ino quickly shook her head, teasingly smirking at her figure. "Oh no, of course not! Don't be afraid to show a little skin Hinata; you have the body to show it off after all."

"Plus, we're going to be wearing dresses similar to yours, so you won't be alone in this." Sakura pointed out, helping her to smooth out the ruffled edges.

Hinata relaxed a little at hearing that, moving back inside the changing room to put on her jeans and top. The more they talked about the club, the more curious she got, but she withheld from prying them for answers knowing it was all meant to be a surprise.

After paying for the dresses, Sakura suggested they head to the food court to take a break to which she wholeheartedly agreed. Her feet throbbed mildly as she took a seat across from the pair. She hadn't expected to spend 3 hours scourging through the mall's best high end boutiques for a dress, but it had been worth it at the end that she found at least one she felt comfortable enough wearing for just the night.

'I'm in need of a nap when I get back home though.' Hinata mused, sitting up straight as another thought occurred to her.

"Hey, who else did you invite to this party by the way; not too many people right?" Hinata inquired.

Ino glanced up from her smoothie, thoughtfully tapping her cheek. "Hmm, Sakura of course here invited Sasuke, but who knows if he'll show up. Your old group members Shino and Kiba should come, Tenten, Shikamaru if he's feeling up for it, Choji, Sai maybe, and obviously Naruto."

Sakura huffed over Ino's comment involving Sasuke before leaning in towards the table with a smirk. "Speaking of Naruto, how would you describe your current relationship with him now Hinata?"

Hinata paused mid-chew in her bite of yogurt, resisting the urge to slide down in her chair out of view. Even she herself wasn't sure how to properly describe their relationship. They had gone out on a couple of dates a few times in the past, but the onset of longer work hours, her family's approval, and schoolwork had prevented them from seeing each other as often and ultimately, left their relationship blurry.

"Err, we'll we've gone out before, but we haven't made anything official or serious if that's what you mean." Hinata eventually murmured, not sure how else she could put it.

Ino brushed a stray hair from her face, shaking her head with a sigh over the predicament before smiling in a way that made Hinata shift uncomfortably and redden. "By the end of the tonight, that should change."

Hinata slowly nodded her head, stomach churning as the words echoed throughout her mind. 'They're more excited about this than me.'

-oOo-

"Happy 21st! How do you plan to spend the rest of your day?" Hanabi asked cheerily from the other end of the phone.

Hinata hummed gently, leaning back into her pillows with a sigh. "Sakura and Ino wanted to celebrate at that new club 81."

There was a long gap in silence before Hanabi spoke once more, her tone holding a hint of amusement. "You do know what that club is known for, right?"

"…No, nothing bad though I hope." Hinata assumed to which Hanabi only chuckled.

"Oh Hinata, you're so naïve and innocent sometimes. I figured you would at least have an idea of what that club is really all about based on your previous dates with Naruto." Hanabi considered.

Hinata blinked; openly ready to refute her claims, but her continued giggling made the truth harder to admit. 'What is she talking about? Those dates didn't lead to anything!' 

"That club is bigger than it looks from the outside too. It has so many rooms and upper levels to explore and each weekend they seem to hold a new theme. I've heard even some of Konoha's high end executives like to hold private events there." Hanabi brought up as her laughter died down.

"And how do you know all this; have you been to this club?" Hinata questioned, shifting as she sat up to hear her response. She might have not known much about this elusive club, but she knew it only allowed people ages 18 and up in.

"I've…I've just heard some rumors from my classmates is all. Anyways, have a good rest of your birthday; don't be afraid to try new things!" Hanabi answered abruptly, hanging up before she could reply.

'Even she's apparently gone to this club…' The thought was strangely not as surprising as she thought it would be. Hanabi had taken to telling her of secret get-togethers she had done with friends soon after her 16th birthday, but she had assumed at the time it was nothing too rebellious knowing how protective their father and the whole family could be over them.

Still, hearing of her sister's supposed hidden rebel nature was beginning to make her question herself. Hinata discreetly glanced back towards her closet and dresser: the little black dress she had bought from earlier was hung up, neatly separated from the rest of her clothes for later.

'Tonight, I can't let my shyness or fears get to me.'

-oOo-

"Happy Birthday Hinata!" Her friends cried out in unison, bits of confetti and streamers tossed onto her. Hinata laughed and thanked them appreciatively, scanning the crowd subtly for familiar blue eyes and sighing when she saw no sign of him.

Sakura quickly threw an arm around her as she whispered into her ear. "Don't worry about that idiot; Imade sure he remembered to come tonight, he's probably just running a little late!" To prove her point, Sakura rose up her fist and showed the faint traces of scratches between her knuckles.

"You didn't need to do that; I wouldn't want to force him to come here if he didn't want to!" Hinata murmured back.

Sakura was about to reply back, but Ino sandwiched herself into the pair from amidst the crowd, margarita glasses in tow that she handed them off to the pair. "You two; what are you doing just standing there?! There's plenty of dancing and guys to mingle with here!"

Sakura allowed Ino to swing her towards the dance floor, but Hinata stayed behind to take in the atmosphere. They had gotten to the club around its opening time of 10 pm and already it was close to full capacity, partygoers hustled almost shoulder to shoulder with what little room was left.

Hinata took to an empty seat by the bar and finally took a sip from the strawberry drink, the mixture of the fruit and alcohol stung her throat leaving a bitter aftertaste before the sweetness of the syrup eventually kicked in.

"Hey birthday girl, are you having a good time?" A grisly voice crooned by her ear. Hinata barely turned to see a man that looked at least twice her age, dark brown hair gelled back in a way to hide the isolated patches of gray beginning to grow.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Hinata inquired, moving from his touch.

There was a flash of surprise in the man's eyes at her evasion of his question, but he paid it no mind as he inched closer once more. "No, I just happened to close enough to hear some of your friend's celebratory cheers towards you."

'He's not going to leave me alone.' Hinata realized eerily, reaching for her half-finished margarita glass to pour over him until he was gruffly pulled back.

"Get away from her." Naruto cut in, the usual warmth of his blue eyes replaced with a malice that made even Hinata wince as the man took his cue to slink back into the crowd.

Naruto turned his attention towards her and she once again felt heat rise to her cheeks as he looked from her eyes over to her dress before he realized what he was doing and glanced away.

"Hinata, why did you choose to dress like that to go to a club like this?" He asked.

-oOo-

It didn't take Hinata long to find her two companions taking a break from the flow of dancing. The duo were leaning against each other and fanning each other's sweat away.

Hinata gulped as she approached the pair, flustering as she caught sight of blue eyes still gazing towards her charmingly before she quickly glanced back towards Sakura and Ino's Cheshire grins uneasily. She was sure now she had definitely caught the sound of moaning coming from somewhere in the distance. "U-Um, what type of club did you guys say this was again?"

Sakura grinned, wiping a drop of sweat sticking to her pink locks as she adjusted herself off of Ino. "It's just your typical dance club, with some other events they hold upstairs occasionally."

"Notably, you and Sasuke would know well of those 'events', huh?" Ino speculated cheekily towards her before Sakura gave her a look to shut up.

"Did Naruto try to tell you differently? We saw the way he pushed aside that one older looking guy coming onto you." Sakura pried suggestively.

Hinata shook her head, blushing at their implications. "N-No, but why didn't you tell me earlier that this club is also used for e-erotica?!"

"That's only upstairs though! We didn't think you planned on going up there unless Naruto maybe invited you to." Ino explained.

Hinata internally groaned at their behavior. She didn't mind so much that her friends had hidden the shadier side of the club from her, but because of that; Naruto had to be the one to tell her!

Sakura lightly nudged her back towards the bar; beaming at the stares Naruto had continued to throw in their direction. 'It's time to complete the matchmaking.'

"Well, the truth is out now, so go back and enjoy the rest of your time with him and who knows; he may whisk you upstairs before the night is over so you can really see what it's like!"

Ino laughed in agreement, helping to push Hinata as well towards the bar. "And don't mind us anymore; just pretend it's only you two here!"

"So, what did they say?" Naruto asked, watching as Hinata hesitantly sat back down next to him.

Hinata clicked her tongue, swirling at the leftover ice in her glass. "Everything you told me."

Naruto chuckled, glancing over his shoulder back to the dance floor. The rest of their friends had either shuffled off the dancefloor to watch others do karaoke or were eating at the other side of the bar.

Naruto swung his chair back in the direction of Hinata and smirked beneath the palm of his hand. She had taken the time to lightly curl out her indigo hair and apply a light make-up that made her lavender eyes even stick out more than usual. Hinata eventually caught onto his staring and momentarily froze, twirling a finger through her hair idly.

"The dress is for you." Hinata spoke up gently.

Naruto blinked, cocking his head in confusion at her response before she went on. "I-I mean, to answer your question earlier of why I went to the club wearing a dress like this."

Naruto's mouth formed an O shape in understanding and his flirtatious grin from earlier slowly began to reappear. "If that was the case, you should have said so earlier."

Hinata reddened, shuffling at her feet nervously. It wasn't even that perverted of a comment and yet he knew even that would make her blush. 'And we both know he's said more risqué things in the past…'

Hinata glanced back up from her flats, surprised when she saw Naruto hadn't taken his attention off of her, cerulean eyes watching her intently.

"We don't often get to spend time like this together…at least not without your dad or one of your family members suddenly cutting in." Naruto mused.

Hinata bit her lip, stomach coiling at his brief pained look. "I know and I'm sorry they've been hurtful to you, but I still want to spend time with you. It's just… they always seemed to be one step ahead of us and already knew where we were going or where we would be at."

Naruto paused in answering, the blaring sounds of lights and music surrounding them getting to him temporarily as he tried to concentrate. "Wait, they don't know about here, do they?"

Hinata remembered back to Hanabi mentioning of her 'friends' visiting the club without being caught. It seemed safe to say that nobody from the family knew about this place or paid it any mind.

Naruto's grin widened at her response of no. A mischievous smile he only reserved for when they both knew he was planning something wild.

Naruto suddenly hopped off his chair and held out a hand to her. "Let's go upstairs; we can better hear and talk to each other if we go up there."

"W-What, but you know what they do up there, right?!" Hinata sputtered.

Naruto simply nodded his head, still holding his hand out. "I know and you know so let's not waste the chance to truly be alone while we still have it."

It was odd hearing such a serious assertion from Naruto of all people, but his words rang true as she reached to accept his hand. Naruto teasingly guided her fingers towards his lips, the sensation setting off a heat that made her whole body flush.

"Okay." Hinata whispered, allowing him to lead her away. The lights dimmed as they climbed further and further upstairs, the deafening and lively beats coming from down below lessening with every step into the dark.

-oOo-

"I almost forgot." Naruto murmured from the crook of Hinata's neck, brushing his lips against her quickening pulse.

"What?" Hinata questioned through a gasp at the movement, opening one eye to watch him.

Naruto grinned, sitting up a bit straighter so she could see him properly through the faint lighting of the room. "How sensitive you are."

Hinata bit her lip, fisting the sheets of the bed as he palmed one breast with his hand before his lips descending on the other. She shifted into his touches, grinding their hips together as he peppered kisses downward.

Naruto grunted his approval, pressing his erection into her as nimble fingers moved along to the edges of her panties before a crackling noise made them both pause in movement.

Hinata blinked in confusion, the haze of lust fading as the crunching noise grew louder until she realized what it was: the people in the room next door.

'Ah, I can't believe Naruto and I almost…in here of all places!' Hinata thought, shifting her attention towards Naruto who looked just as equally zoned out as she must've looked.

Most of the rooms were predictably taken when Naruto had brought up them up here, but she hadn't paid the dampness or musty air any mind when Naruto pushed her onto the bed; pent-up longing and desires resurfacing with each kiss.

"Heh, almost forgot where exactly we were." Naruto grumbled; fishing for his shirt amongst their crumpled clothes as Hinata pushed it towards him with a blush.

"We don't need to move this fast in only one night. There's a lot we haven't been able to talk to each other about with all this time that's gone by." Hinata stated, reaching to grip his hand slowly.

Naruto squeezed it lightly in return, shifting as he stood back up. "Hinata, I don't like having to tiptoe around your family, but as you said earlier; they don't know about this place…"

Hinata squirmed, knowing where he was going with this. "You…you want to keep meeting here?"

"I honestly can't think of any other places your family or a friend of your family doesn't already know about." Naruto mused.

Hinata hesitated for a moment; squeaking when Naruto pulled her closer back into his arms.

"They won't find out if we use this place." He murmured by the shell of her ear, making her shiver as she pulled away slightly.

It was dirty; having to sneak around her family wasn't how she wanted her relationship to be with Naruto or anyone really, but the thought of being able to spend time with him again, to feel the same heat she felt with him tonight; that was too much to pass up.

Hinata eventually nodded her head, smiling when Naruto excitedly pressed her back towards him to press a kiss against her forehead.

"Looks like we finally have a new rendezvous spot, huh?"

A/N: I'm so curious to know what you guys think so let me know if you want to see more of this! It's my first time writing a mature story so I definitely would love and appreciate any advice or ideas. ;-)


	2. Incognito

Chapter 2: Incognito

"Looks like someone's been having a good night." Sakura commented, the first to notice Hinata and Naruto's return back to the main floor.

Hinata reddened under the cheeky grins her friends sent her, Kiba even wolf whistling from the distance at how close the two were standing next to each other. She knew already she was going to have to face her friend's awkward stares and smirks upon coming back to the floor, but that didn't make the process any easier.

Ino snickered as Hinata tried to discreetly fix her bra back in place while Naruto sauntered off to see what the rest of the guys were doing. "So…I assume you got to experience the true thrill of what happens upstairs, huh?"

Hinata continued to fumble with fixing underneath her disheveled dress before sighing and giving up on it. "Um well, not exactly to be honest."

Sakura arched an eyebrow at that, twisting in her chair to listen in properly. "What does that mean? Did that idiot say something to ruin the moment?!"

Hinata quickly shook her head, embarrassed over the whole scenario. "No! It's not Naruto's fault; it was the people in the room next to us. They made a crackling noise that we could hear through the wall."

Sakura and Ino gave each other sour looks. They had both worked so hard booking a relatively fancier section of the club weeks in advance and the main event that was supposed to make Hinata's birthday hadn't even happened.

"I guess it's true what they say then, even the rooms upstairs have to be reserved in advance if you want to truly not get interrupted." Sakura grumbled.

Hinata perked her head in interest for them to give her details, slinking back when the two suddenly glanced back towards her and grinned.

"To go off of what Sakura is saying, there's the basic rooms that fill up fast which is probably what you and Naruto got stuck with and there's the ritzier rooms hidden away that offer more privacy and features." Ino explained.

"But said rooms are expensive to get in and usually the only people we've seen head down the halls to those rooms were people who had connections with the club's owners or saved up enough cash." Sakura joined in.

Hinata nodded her head, slowly taking in the information. 'I would hate for us to always have to meet in those sleazy rooms…but its fine as long as Naruto and I can spend time together.'

Ino patted her back excitedly as she brought her out of her thoughts; a smile adorning her lips as she inclined her head closer to the pair while lowering her voice. "How far did you two get before you were interrupted though? Clothes seem to have been done away with at the least."

"W-What?!" Hinata stammered, why were they curious to know that? She never asked them about their sex lives.

"Ino, what they do in the bedroom is their own private matter!" Sakura pointed out, sending Hinata a warm smile which made her relax a bit until Ino let out a snort.

"What are you talking about forehead? You're the one who was blabbering to me while they were up there if Naruto is even good in bed compared to Sasuke-"Ino was hastily cut off as Sakura covered her mouth, a reddish tinge beginning to light her cheeks.

"Ino's just kidding! She sometimes jokes around too much after a few too many drinks!" Sakura stated quickly, huffing when Ino only began to laugh over her covered lips as Hinata surprisingly began to giggle slightly alongside her.

'Okay, why are they all giving me such stupid looks?!' Naruto thought irritably, glancing amongst his friends silly grins for an answer as he took a seat at the booth.

Kiba was the first to speak up, chuckling at Naruto's annoyed look. "Seems like you and the birthday girl had a good time upstairs?"

Naruto's aggravated look briefly passed at the question, cerulean eyes lighting up mischievously "Hmm, well yeah you could say that…at least we did before we got interrupted."

"When you say you two were 'interrupted' that isn't to cover up the fact you weren't big enough to give Hinata pleasure, is it?" Sai asked curiously, causing the whole group to go silent.

"No, that wasn't the reason at all! Naruto snapped out in a mix of anger and embarrassment. 'Have they been cracking jokes like that the whole time I was gone?'

Naruto glanced over in Sasuke's direction, scowling at his stoic expression. "You've been sitting there looking bored all night, why don't you just go home already?"

Sasuke peered up from his glass, onyx eyes regarding him with indifference before shrugging. "It's gotten pretty late. Besides from looking at how you currently are, shouldn't you worry more about your own reasons for still being here?"

Naruto frowned at his semi avoidance of his question, but admitted internally that it was probably in the early morning hours now. Much of the crowd had died down and even the music had slowed from an upbeat nature to a softer melody. From amidst the streaming lights still on the dance floor he could make out the center clock's time approaching 3 am.

'Shit, it really has gotten late! I should at least walk Hinata home safely.' Naruto thought, noticing from the corner of his eye she was already approaching him with Sakura and Ino trailing behind with amused grins.

"Hey Hinata, good timing! Are you ready to head out now?" Naruto questioned eagerly, ignoring for the moment her coloring cheeks as Sakura and Ino watched them. Perhaps they had coaxed her to drink a bit more alcohol before they all parted ways.

Hinata began to smile despite Naruto's messy appearance, even this early in the morning Naruto still had plenty of energy to spare. "Yes, I'm ready, but… I think you should fix your clothes in the bathroom before we go."

When Naruto began to look puzzled, Hinata's face reddened even further as she leaned in closer to whisper what she hadn't noticed when they had first come out of the room, but also what nobody else had apparently wanted to tell him. "You have your clothes on backwards."

-oOo-

Somehow, a peak of sunshine still managed to slip in through Hinata's closed curtains, stirring her from her sleep as her head began to pound.

'I guess this is what it feels like to be hung over or maybe it's due to my lack of sleep.' Hinata pondered, shifting her covers off slowly as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.

Last night and into the morning hours seemed to have gone by in a blur, but the one memory that stood out to her was that she and Naruto were going to initiate their romance again…albeit secretly.

Hinata stretched and reached over to pull her curtains open, the light making her wince as it poured into her room. Telling by the bustling of people on the streets and the cars driving by it must have already been past noon.

The faint growling of her stomach drew her from watching any further as her head begin to achingly reminder her she hadn't eaten anything since last night as well.

'I should get my grocery shopping done and buy some take out on the way there.' Hinata mused, moving to head towards the bathroom to wash her face and get ready. The curls she had worked so hard to prepare from the night before were now strewn messily and out of place, but it wasn't the sight of her cluttered hair or even the light remnants of make-up still on her face that caught off guard; it was the blemish she spotted on the corner of her neck.

"A hickey?" Hinata mumbled to herself, tossing her violet hair back to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Without her hair to hide it, the reddish-blue mark stood out even more against her pale skin.

Hinata flustered; the love bite yet another reminder too of what had happened the night before. In the past, Naruto usually knew well enough to hide any of their 'activities' in spots that nobody would see, but that hadn't been a forethought for either of them.

"I'll just cover it up with the make-up Ino gave me." Hinata decided, heading out of her bathroom towards the dresser. The concealer didn't perfectly hide the bruise, but hopefully her hair could cover up the rest of it.

As soon as Hinata finished getting ready, she headed straight for the supermarket. While she had enjoyed the drinks and music, she hadn't yet really tried any of Club 81's main dining food besides the snacks that were at the bar.

'That's not a big deal though, considering that wasn't the last time I would be going there.' Hinata considered, searching for her shopping list within her pocket before she went inside when a hand touched her shoulder.

Hinata jumped back at the action, shopping list falling to the concrete as Neji gave her a perplexed look, reaching to pick it up for her. "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay, I was the one so caught up in my own thoughts that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings." Hinata stated, accepting her list back with a smile.

Neji simply nodded his head, eyes softening as he smiled back. "By the way, happy belated birthday; I assume you had a good day?"

"Oh, yes thank you. I had a good time with Sakura, Ino, and the others." Hinata replied gently. 'Please don't ask for any details…'

Neji said nothing for a moment, his gaze remaining fixed in her direction until he finally spoke up again. "Did you… burn your neck last night?"

The question threw her off guard as she followed his line of sight, so that's what he had been looking at.

"Yes, I accidently let the curling iron get too close to my neck." Hinata lied effortlessly, trying to ignore her hammering heart and the thought that he would see through her fib.

And luckily, Neji at least seemed to believe in her lie, nodding as he silently went into the store ahead of her.

Hinata waited until he was truly gone before she let out a sigh of relief. Lying to her family shouldn't have become such a habit.

-oOo- 

Bored and hungry, those were the perfect descriptions to describe how Naruto currently felt.

'I think the lunch rush at Ichiraku's should have passed or died down by now. That will at least take care of my hunger problem.' Naruto considered, lazily sitting up off his bed.

Naruto yawned as he trudged through the streets over towards the stand, the midday heat only making him grumpier until he finally plopped down at an open stool.

"What's with the long face Naruto? It's not like you to appear so moody." Teuchi questioned, heading up to him after his finished passing one customer their condiments.

Naruto shook his head, waving it off. "Just had a long night is all; I'll take my usual."

"You had a long night? What could you have possibly been up to?" Jiraiya asked from beside him, snickering as Naruto realized his presence.

Naruto scoffed at his teasing, propping his elbows up against the countertop. "For your information old man, Hinata's birthday was yesterday and I went to her birthday party."

Jiraiya tapped his cheek thoughtfully before snapping his fingers as the name came back to him. "Oh, the Hyuga girl! I didn't know you two we're still together though after those past incidents with her family…"

"Things can change." Naruto answered casually, grinning when Jiraiya caught on to what he meant.

"…I see, so where exactly do you two meet at then without them finding out?" Jiraiya pried.

Naruto pointed in the direction of Club 81, chuckling at Jiraiya's surprised look. "Yes, I am pointing in the direction of the place you're thinking of. It's where her birthday party was at last night and it's probably the only place we can go where none of her family will bother us."

Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest, observing as Naruto took to slurping his first bowl of noodles. It had been awhile since the two had hung out like this ever since Naruto had finish mentoring under him back during his earlier days of college and to think what juicy information he had gotten by just seeing him again at this stand.

'I can definitely make this worth my time.' Jiraiya mused.

"Well, Club 81 is known for more than just its parties as I'm sure you've already found out and if you two plan to really use it as your getaway spot, then you should have the best rooms available to use!" Jiraiya exclaimed, fishing for something out of his pockets.

Naruto gave him a side glance as he tossed two golden cards in his direction. Upon closer inspection, in neat black cursive letters were the words VIP.

"Why are you giving me these?" Naruto asked simply.

Jiraiya sighed, pushing the cards a bit closer. "What, you're old teacher can't do something nice for his student?!"

Naruto restrained from rolling his eyes, but accepted the cards reluctantly. Jiraiya seemed a little too happy to be all of sudden just tossing away VIP cards to him when they both knew how difficult it was for most people to get.

"With those passes, you'll be able to have access to the deluxe rooms and the smaller venues upstairs. This weekend I heard they're even throwing a lingerie party in one of the gentleman's clubs." Jiraiya continued on.

"Yeah, you would know that, but I still have to see if Hinata is even free before we can go back over there." Naruto brought up.

Jiraiya smirked, taking a sip from his drink. "Well, even if she did have plans it shouldn't be too hard to change her mind when it comes to you, right?"

-oOo-

It was nearly 11 pm by the time Hinata returned home, moonlight illuminating her path as she retreated back into her apartment. She could've been back hours ago, but Neji had insisted on treating her to lunch which in reality had been a surprise party from the family for her birthday. While it was nice to visit the family manor and see her loved ones again, she hadn't missed the teasing looks Hanabi had given her before she left.

'I think she's the only one who knows where I was truly at yesterday.' Hinata reflected; setting the leftovers she had gotten from them in the fridge.

Romance and relationships had always been a bumpy topic and today had proved to be no different. She admittedly still wasn't sure how to approach the issue when her family liked to hassle her over meeting any new potential men in her life.

"I know they mean well, but it gets tiring having to deal with them pressuring me." Hinata grumbled aloud, heading to the shower to de-stress. She had only been in the shower for a few minutes though before she heard a familiar tapping on her door.

The knock was light enough that she had to turn the knob of her shower off to pause to hear it again. The tapping sound came again, stronger than the last as Hinata realized it was Naruto's secret knock.

Hinata reached for her nearest towel to wrap around herself and looked through the peephole to see. Sure enough, she was met back with a silly grin from the other side.

"Naruto, what are you doing here at this time of the day and why didn't you use the key I gave you?" Hinata questioned softly, cracking the door open enough for him to come in quietly. It wouldn't have been as odd if they were still in the midst of the regular school year when Naruto occasionally liked to visit her during the night after he got off work. Not as many people loitered around the apartment once nighttime fell, but he hadn't even texted her advance of this particular arrival.

"Oh, that key is back at my place and yeah, I know it's late, but I didn't think trying to visit you in the daytime hours would be the best idea. Anyhow, Jiraiya offered me these VIP passes to the apparent luxury rooms of Club 81. He said we'll have a lot of options available to us if we take advantage of them this weekend as well." Naruto explained.

Hinata blinked in surprise, accepting the golden card as she looked it over. "Wow, that's a bit unexpected, but I-I'm not going to be busy, if you're not…"

Naruto shook his head, chuckling at her nervousness. "Don't worry, I'll double check with the club to make sure these passes are legit and we can come up with a time and area of the club to meet at before the week is over."

Hinata nodded her head in agreement, setting her card down by her dresser where she could find it. Naruto chose to come up behind her, tracing along her curves as she let out a gasp. 'I'm so used to Naruto coming by I nearly forgot I'm still in a towel!'

"So…I assume I interrupted your shower, huh?" Naruto asked gently into her skin, smirking as he felt it begin to prickle and grow hot.

Hinata turned back to face him, mimicking his actions by outlining the contours of his chest. "It wouldn't be the first time you've done it, but um…d-don't mark my neck again. Neji saw what you did and he won't believe the same excuse twice."

Naruto's grin widened as she pointed out the hickey, lifting her towards her bed. "Alright, I'll make sure this time to leave it in a spot he can't see." Hinata shivered under his darkening stare, moaning as he slowly tugged her towel away to the floor and drew a hardened nipple into his mouth.

Hinata fisted his golden locks as she brought him closer; kissing along his tan skin once he did away with his own clothes. Grunting, Naruto briefly moved from her touch as she caught a glimmer of something from the corner of her eyes.

"We haven't been very careful lately, have we?" Naruto inquired lowly, rolling the condom on.

"No, but-"Hinata paused midway, lifting her hips to meet Naruto's thrust. It hurt, undeniably so. Tears sprung to her eyes as he slid back in slowly, heat spreading along every part of her body that he moved to touch, kiss, and taste.

Naruto leaned down to kiss away her tears, shifting as she let out a sigh when he moved again within her. His voice took on a deeper tone, sitting up off her. "It's been awhile hasn't it? If…if I'm hurting you we can-."

"Don't stop." Hinata whispered, cutting him off by moving their bodies together once more.

-oOo-

The first thing she felt was the loss of his warmth.

Hinata sat up slowly, clutching her lavender sheets to her chest as she saw Naruto moving up off her bed. Naruto halted in his action, turning to meet her stare.

"You know, you don't have to leave so soon. Wouldn't you like some breakfast?" Hinata murmured, studying his expression carefully.

Naruto brushed a hand through his golden hair, peeking through her window to guess the time. Sunrise hadn't yet occurred, but peaks of orange and red hues were beginning to appear on the horizon. If he ever spent the night at Hinata's place, he had always tried to be out before the morning got too busy with people heading to work.

"Alright, I've missed having your home-cooked meals anyways." Naruto eventually said, putting on the rest of his clothes while Hinata went to grab her own.

Hinata leisurely drank from her cup of tea. Across from her, Naruto was munching eagerly on his omelet and French toast; every now and then meeting her smile.

'Naruto probably rarely ever gets to eat like this. Eating ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner could make him get sick sooner or later.' Hinata pondered.

"Is Saturday night okay with you by the way; we can meet by that same bar?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence that had enveloped.

"Hmm? Oh, that's fine. I-I'm actually a little excited to see what the other rooms look like." Hinata stated.

"Happy that nobody should interrupt us this time, huh?" Naruto mused smugly at her growing blush as she rapidly shook her head.

As they finished eating their meals, Naruto headed to the sink to help her wash their dirty plates, brushing his lips against hers before he turned to leave.

"Maybe we should wear something a bit different from our normal clothes incase somebody there recognizes us?" Naruto mentioned as he opened back her door. 'Though I'm not sure I have any clothes that don't contain orange or black.'

Hinata squirmed at that thought; she had already gone out of her comfort zone and worn a seductive dress on her first outing there, but Naruto spoke up when he saw her anxious look.

"Oh, I don't mean anything that big of a difference, just casual wear. Don't wear that dress you wore on your birthday…unless it's just us two alone."

Hinata laughed lightly, nodding her head now that she knew what he meant.

-oOo-

Using the VIP passes truly did change the club experience, at least in terms of opening the hidden kinkier side that Hinata herself was ignorant to only a few days ago.

Hinata beamed in awe as an attendant lead them through the halls, chandeliers casting yellow and red hues to highlight nearby lounges, pool games, and pictures of various club members posing with Konoha's high end figures, but most of the guests were too focused on a show-girls performance about to occur on the center stage.

Hinata squeaked in alarm as one woman tossed her jeweled bra into the crowd, flustering as she turned her face into Naruto's arm. 'I almost forgot where exactly we were.'

"Jiraiya wasn't kidding when he said this area was better. I'm surprised he hadn't already mentioned it to me!" Naruto stated jokingly.

Hinata only pressed her face closer into his arm to block out the groaning she heard coming from close by, focusing on the rumble of his laughter to calm her nerves.

"Here you two are; enjoy the night." The attendant spoke up, showing the two inside before closing the door behind him.

Hinata moved her face away from Naruto's shoulder to peer around. The bed was indeed larger than the room they had been in last time, red and white linens along with rose petals strewn across it. Next to the bed was a complimentary bottle of champagne with Club 81's logo on the bottom.

"I-It's like a hotel room." Hinata said softly.

"Hey, they even got a Jacuzzi and TV in here too; this is awesome!" Naruto cheered from her side, touring around the room before bouncing onto the bed gleefully.

Hinata followed him into the bed, leaning back into his chest while he began to explore through the different channels. "I wonder how much this all costed Jiraiya."

Naruto paused at the mention of him, goofy grin abruptly becoming serious as he glanced around. Hinata watched his movement with a confused stare until he came back towards her and lowered his voice.

"Speaking of that old man, we need to check this room for hidden cameras or something. He was a little too excited to give me this gift after all." Naruto advised, studying the walls, ceilings, and tiles of the adjacent bathroom for anything out of the ordinary.

Hinata checked under their bed, back towards the main door, and the window, but saw nothing. "I haven't found anything strange."

"Yeah, I haven't either. Guess he was just being nice after all." Naruto assumed, pulling her into her arms. "Now what should we check out first, the bed, the bath, or the shower?"

Hinata sighed, eyes mirroring his desire by moving a hand to brush against his growing erection. "You've been the one pleasuring me lately; tonight I should return the favor."

Naruto chuckled, leaning down to initiate a kiss when she abruptly froze. "Hmm, what's wrong?"

Hinata shakily pointed a finger across the room towards a portrait. "T-That portrait suddenly gained eyes!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, half-turning to confirm what she had seen before growling. "Wait here for a minute."

Naruto stepped out of the room and headed towards the wall of the other side of the painting, scowling when he caught a glimpse of spiky white hair.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto snapped out, startling Jiraiya into turning to face him. Jiraiya simply chuckled, scratching his cheek innocently.

"Oh hey boy, what are you doing over here?" Jiraiya asked casually.

Naruto scoffed, pointed to the eye holes in the wall. "You stupid pervert, you only gave me those passes so you could spy on me?!"

Jiraiya seemed unfazed by Naruto's annoyance, lecherous grin forming. "Is it so wrong that I wanted to get some fun out of this night too? I should've assumed you figured me out though once you started snooping around the room and did more talking instead of action…"

"Hey, but it's a nice room though, isn't? You should go back and enjoy it with her instead of wasting your time talking to me!" Jiraiya went on excitedly.

Naruto ignored him, grumbling curses as he walked back to his room. Hinata was reading through one of the club's magazines when he returned.

"Did…did he really follow us here?" Hinata questioned to which Naruto grouchily nodded his head before smirking.

"Yeah, but don't worry; I have an idea to get back at him." Naruto mused, helping Hinata off the bed to put his plan into motion.

'Hmm, looks like they actually are going to do something.' Jiraiya thought, staring through the peephole again as Naruto guided Hinata out of view and suddenly turned the bed around and slammed it straight into the portrait to block his sight.

Hinata blinked in surprise, Naruto boasting a proud smile at his behavior. "Um, aren't we going to have to move this bed back to its original position before we go?"

The smile slipped from Naruto's face at that until he quickly gained back his easygoing grin. "Eh…we can worry about that later."

Read & Review, I love and enjoy hearing back from you guys! ;)


	3. Double Date?

Chapter 3: Double Date?

'I wonder how long we'll be able to keep this up…'

"Hinata, are you still listening to us?" Sakura questioned, waving a hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"Probably thinking about Naruto again, huh?" Ino mused from beside her, smirking at Hinata's telling blush.

It had been a few weeks now that she and Naruto had been carrying on their illicit affair with only their shared friends and her sister knowing about it. While she trusted that her friends wouldn't go off to spread said secret, she still felt slightly wary of the different people she often saw around the club. There were many prominent citizens that apparently liked to stop by with friends and families who probably had no idea of the things they did inside the club's walls.

"I'm sorry you guys, what were we talking about again?" Hinata murmured, sitting up properly to focus on them.

Ino waved off her apology, smiling as she twirled her fork in her hand. "We were asking you what you saw upstairs in the VIP section of Club 81."

Sakura leaned in close to hear her, forest green eyes sparkling with interest. "Is it true what people have said about it?! Do they really have all those fancy restaurants and bars?"

Ino scoffed, pushing her aside slightly. "Oh, who cares about all of that crap?! Hinata, what were the rooms like? I'm sure you and Naruto spent all night trying out every option available."

'I'm beginning to regret having told them I even went up there.' Hinata considered, feeling her face beginning to redden even further under their growing questions while they began to argue over what to ask her next.

Hinata glanced over to her side to see what Tenten had to say in all of this. She had been oddly quiet since the lunch had started, having only spoken to really order her meal off the menu.

'Now that I think about it, Tenten spends a lot of time with Neji either training or hanging out. I don't think she would tell him about what I've been doing with Naruto since she could have already done so a long time ago, but Neji may eventually catch on and ask her more questions about it…' Hinata realized.

Tenten soon caught on to Hinata's staring, glancing up from her salad curiously. "Is something the matter?"

Hinata blinked before quickly shaking her head and looking back down at her own meal. This was silly; she was only going to make herself nervous if she came up with random assumptions of what if situations.

"If you were worried about Neji asking me anything regarding you and Naruto, don't worry; he hasn't and anyways, it really isn't any of his business if he does." Tenten spoke up.

Hinata peered back up her, smiling when she saw her sincere grin. "Thank you Tenten."

Tenten nodded her head, finishing her bite of salad before continuing on. "It's fine, but to continue where Sakura and Ino left off…what exactly did you see upstairs?"

-oOo-

"Can we meet for lunch today around 12 or 1? I want…no, I really need to talk to you! –Hanabi

Hinata read over the text message once more, unsure if she should simply call her back instead to find out what was so urgent. She had just seen Hanabi a few days ago when she came to the compound and she hadn't given her any inclination that something was troubling her.

Nonetheless, she had the free time and it was a nice enough day to get out of her apartment. The clouds drifting by along with the calm breeze provided some relief from the afternoon heat, even if she could feel her summer dress beginning to stickily cling to her.

Hinata quietly fanned herself as she waited patiently under the shade of the usual tree she and Hanabi liked to meet at in Konoha's central park, sitting up when she finally saw her approach.

"You look uncomfortable." Hanabi remarked, plopping down into the grass beside her. Hinata frowned, following her line of sight back towards her dress. Sweat had started to dampen her clothes in all of the wrong areas.

Hinata blushed at her amused grin, wrapping her arms around herself. "C-Can we go back to my place or at least someplace cooler?"

"Of course, we need to go somewhere where nobody will hear or see us anyways." Hanabi answered back, helping Hinata up to head back to her place.

A few minutes later, the sisters were back in her air conditioned kitchen. Hinata calmly took a sip from her glass of water before speaking up. "So, what's this all about?"

Hanabi set her own glass down, lavender eyes mirroring her own observing her curiously. "It's not anything dangerous. It's just something that's been happening for a while that I knew I should share with you that I…I have a boyfriend!"

Hinata giggled at her excitement. Memories of her own familiar giddiness coming back to her from when she had first started dating Naruto and moved beyond that.

"You must really like this guy for you to want to meet up in person to tell me. "How did you run into this guy? I assume you had mutual friends or a shared class together, right?" Hinata guessed.

The smile stifled for a moment on Hanabi's face and Hinata froze up at her next words. "…I met him at Club 81."

Hinata felt as if her throat had twisted up at such a simple statement, biting her lip as a silent tension swiftly overtook them.

"Hanabi… are you joking with me?" Hinata eventually choked out, taking a sip once more from her drink to prevent her voice from falling apart.

Hanabi shook her head, squirming in her seat uneasily at her stare. "I know what you're thinking, but he's not a bad guy! We've been talking to each other for a couple of weeks now and I think-"

"Hold on, how old is this guy? You're not even allowed in Club 81 considering you're still a minor and have been sneaking in somehow this whole time; have you been lying to him about your real age?!" Hinata cut in.

"No, it's not even that big of an age difference! He's the same age as you and in fact, he told me he goes to the University of Konoha as well." Hanabi sharply replied.

Hinata rubbed her forehead, quietly taking in all that she had just learned. She knew her sister craved to be less restricted by the family just like she did and have more freedom, but still…

"I was hoping that since you're harboring your own secret relationship as well that you of all people would understand where I'm coming from. I was also wondering if we could all possibly meet up at Club 81 to get to know each other this Friday. Like a double date?" Hanabi continued on, forming an expectant smile.

Hinata's first instinct was to immediately say no, disregarding her sister's eagerness to describe this man's features, only catching that he had alluring silver eyes with matching hair.

"Well, I really only ever go to that club with Naruto, but I suppose if it's only for one night…" Hinata trailed off. 'And I really should get an idea of what this guy is doing with my sister. He could only want sex or money out of her.'

Hanabi's eyes widened, hopping out of her seat to give her a hug. "Oh, thank you! I can't wait for you to meet him!"

"Speaking of which, what is this man's name anyways?" Hinata questioned, pulling back from her sister to meet her eyes again.

"Toneri."

-oOo-

'Huh? Where is that knocking noise coming from!' Naruto thought, sitting up from his bed in alarm as the pounding sound came again.

Naruto lazily rubbed his eyes as they adjusted back to his room; slowly recognizing the clatter was coming from his front door. Finding the nearest shirt on the floor, Naruto hastily pulled it on and waded through his scattered trash back towards the entrance.

'I hope it's not the landlady bugging me again. I already paid my rent for this month in advance.' Naruto mused irritably, checking through the peephole to see Hinata.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Reversing the situation so now you come and visit me at night?!" Naruto asked, cheerful demeanor coming back as he let her in.

Hinata smiled back, blushing as she noticed his state of dress. While Naruto had at least taken the time to put on one of his usual plain white shirts, he had in the process neglected the lower half of his body. Hinata quickly looked away before he caught her gazing and tried to clear her thoughts.

"U-Um, there's something that came up with us meeting at the club this Friday that I wanted to tell you about in person." Hinata stammered. 'I could've just told him this over the phone perhaps; I probably woke him up making him believe this was some kind of emergency.'

Naruto cocked his head in confusion, watching as Hinata began to look at everywhere but him. "Okay, that's fine; but how come you can't say that directly to me?"

Hinata shuffled at her feet, staring at different piles of clothes until Naruto gently lifted her face for their eyes to meet. "You forgot to put clothes on to your err…lower half."

Naruto blinked, peering down at his black boxers before grinning cheekily. "Oh, sorry about that though it's not like I was naked…unless you want me to be!"

Hinata rapidly shook her head, sighing when Naruto poked her flushed cheeks in a teasing manner before leaving to fully get dressed. She moved to take a seat on his couch, putting a half-eaten bowl of noodles into the trash before it tipped and spilled all over.

"Naruto, I could help you in cleaning up some of this clutter if you ever need it." Hinata called out to him.

"Nah, that's okay! I just normally use the weekends to clean up all my trash." Naruto explained, wrapping an arm around her as he returned and took a seat beside her.

Naruto turned on his TV to find a channel that would interest them both, groaning when he only went through a stream of various commercials. Naruto eventually left it on the news and tossed the remote back onto the table. "So, this must be important or something really bugging you for you to come to my place instead of me to yours at this time of day, huh?"

Hinata nodded her head, turning to face him fully. "Earlier today I had been talking to my sister Hanabi. She told me she's apparently been seeing this man she met at the club."

"Isn't your sister only sixteen though?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes, but she's been acting out a bit more lately and I think she's used fake IDs or snuck in somehow. I'm worried about her change in attitude and what this guy wants with her seeing as she said he's older than her. Long story short, I told her it would be okay if we went on one double date together for me to meet him." Hinata explained.

Naruto pouted, tugging her closer into his arms. "That club is supposed to be used for our alone time together though!"

Hinata laughed lightly at that, rubbing his hands soothingly. "I promise this is will only be a one-time thing."

Naruto hummed, shifting a hand underneath her shirt, gliding fingers towards the clasp of her bra. "Alright, I doubt this guy is as bad as you're thinking he is, but if we're not going to be able to have our alone time then; let's move it up to now."

Hinata bit back a moan, reaching to entangle their fingers before they went any farther as he pushed her gently down on the couch. "Ah, I-I actually wasn't planning to stay the night here you know."

Naruto only chuckled, grinding their hips together in a way that made her gasp. "Oh? But your body disagrees."

-oOo-

Lilac eyes widened at the red flashing numbers of the current time: 4:08 am.

Another minute passed before Hinata turned herself away from the clock, pulled right into the familiar scent of faded earthy cologne.

"Naruto?" Hinata whispered, poking his shoulder gently to which he only let out a light snore. She paused for a moment at awakening him from his slumber, watching the rhythmic moving of his chest with each breathe he took until his eyes opened slightly.

Hinata nearly squeaked, Naruto tightening his possessive hold around her; azure eyes observing her casually. "Been ogling me in my sleep again, hmm?"

"I-I was only trying to wake you up!" Hinata explained quickly, huffing when Naruto simply laughed at her excuse.

"You don't need to leave so soon even if it's early. I'm sure you're still sleepy after all." Naruto commented with a yawn.

The words were similar in nature to what she had told him when he had been at her place only a few nights ago and persuading him to let her leave before any of his neighbors could see her leave slowly drifted from her mind too once he affectionately pecked her forehead.

She was falling again, inevitably for Naruto's tempting offers and enticing smirks, but a paralyzing thought abruptly came into her head just as she closed back her eyes. 'Is this kind of thing happening to Hanabi as well?'

Hanabi is smart though, a skilled martial artist and on her way to being amongst the top graduates of her high school class, possibly even the valedictorian. Their father had his sights set on her even possibly running one of their corporations in the near future and yet, he didn't know about this other life she had gradually been living.

Toneri could have picked her out easily from the crowds, knowing from the start she was a Hyuga based on her trademark eyes or maybe Hanabi had been the one to initiate contact with him if the way she went on about his looks was anything to go by.

Thoughts of Hanabi carrying out sexual relationships, drinking , partying, and disobeying the family brought up a wave of nausea as she buried her face into one of Naruto's pillows to block out the images.

The most painful idea of them all though that her mind had managed to conjure before it finally let her rest once more was the guilt that perhaps Hanabi had learned all of this from watching her own secretive behavior with Naruto.

-oOo-

'It seems like I'm already half-way done with my second drink. Where is this guy?' Hinata thought, observing amongst the crowds of guests for a man matching Hanabi's description.

Next to her she could tell Naruto was trying to refrain from groaning in boredom. She knew he was itching to get out of the suit and tie she had asked him wear considering he only saved it for higher end events: not going to the club where they often got intimate.

Naruto caught her brief glance; smiling discreetly beneath the palm of his hand while the other moved below the table along her thigh to underneath her silk evening dress.

He drew small circles in her skin the closer he got, snickering lowly when she almost leaned in to his touch. Hinata's breath quickened for a moment when he finally teased along the edge of her panties, slipping a finger inside her before she pushed his hand away.

"Are you alright Hinata? You look flustered." Hanabi noticed, oblivious to the pair's behavior or at least Naruto's.

Hinata quickly nodded her head, controlling her quiver of pleasure. 'Not in front of my sister!' Hinata yelled towards Naruto internally, who persisted to be smug from his position.

"I-I'm fine, it's a little stuffy because so many people are in here. More importantly though, where is your date at; did you call or text him to make sure he knew where to be?" Hinata questioned, needing the topic off of her.

Hanabi frowned at her lecturing tone, about to retort when a man approached from behind the two. "Oh, there he is now!"

"Sorry I'm running late Hanabi; getting through the VIP line took longer than I thought." Toneri explained; smiling as Hanabi scooted over for him.

Hanabi shook her head, turning her attention back towards Hinata and Naruto. "It's no trouble, I'm so glad you finally get to meet someone from my family! This is my older sister Hinata and her boyfriend Naruto."

Hinata politely extended her hand to greet him, blushing when he guided it towards his lips for a small peck as she quickly retracted it back. "It's an honor to meet the woman Hanabi speaks so fondly of."

Naruto arched an eyebrow at the action; blue eyes narrowing silently as he only gave him a small nod in acknowledgment. 'I already don't like this guy.'

"Um, so how exactly did you and Hanabi meet?" Hinata questioned as a waiter came around with their appetizers.

Toneri cut off part of the bread roll, gaining a thoughtful expression as he applied some butter along the edges. "Well, we met here if that's what you mean. Hanabi had accidently bumped into me while playing a pool game with one of her friends. Her eyes were the first thing that caught my attention and we got to talking and the rest is history; it appears you have the same lavender eyes as well."

'So it was her eyes that interested him after all.' Hinata mused internally, but nodded her head to his inquiry. "It's a trait that all of the Hyuga have."

"How long have you two been dating anyways seeing as you can only meet here? You know she's a minor, don't you?" Naruto pointed out after swallowing down his bread.

Hanabi sent Naruto a dirty look for the question, moving to grab Toneri's hand. "As I already told Hinata, age isn't important! Toneri and I may have only been dating for a few months now, but I trust him. You're a bit older than Hinata and she trusts you too, right?"

"Well yeah…hey wait a minute; don't try to turn this around on us! Hinata and I are still the same age!" Naruto griped back.

Toneri chuckled at his outburst, furthering Naruto's annoyance with him as he patted Hanabi's hand. "There's no reason to cause a commotion or get mad at them; they're just worried about you."

Hanabi flustered slightly in embarrassment, murmuring a quiet apology to the pair. "I'm sorry, that shouldn't have riled me up so much. I know you two mean well, but you know how much I hate being babied; I get enough of that back at the compound."

The rest of the meal went by smoothly enough; Hinata learned that Toneri indeed attended the same college as she and Naruto and that he was pursuing a degree in Physics to learn more about space. He wasn't at all like some sleazy man she had first pictured him out to be until they moved to the dance floor to burn off their dinner.

That was when his perfect façade started to slip.

Their eyes caught amongst various dancers and he sent her what she was sure were flirtatious winks and grins that made her squeamish. She responding in turn by hugging Naruto closer, wrapping her arms around his neck as a slow song came on for him to get the picture. 'Why won't he stop looking this way?'

Toneri glowered as Naruto used the chance brush fingers methodically along her curves, but his eyes continued to follow them for the rest of the night.

-oOo-

"That bastard was looking at you more than his own supposed girlfriend! And I've never heard or seen a guy named Toneri Otsutsuki before on campus!" Naruto growled, walking Hinata home after another long day.

Hinata couldn't help but smile, it wasn't often she heard Naruto sound so envious. "We probably have never seen him around much since his degree plan is so different from yours and mine since we're nutrition and law majors respectively. None of the classes we need to take probably correlate with his." 'I recognize his last name though; his family has ties with some of my father's business partnerships...'

"Ugh, well I'm just pissed that it seems like tonight he took advantage of your sister just to get closer to you." Naruto stated bitterly.

Hinata nodded her head, frowning at the images of the secretive looks and grins he had given throughout the course of the night. "I was hoping what we did on the dance floor would get him to stop; Hanabi's not even going to believe us without any proper evidence to back up our claims of what he was doing."

Naruto snickered, moving to give her a kiss as they approached her apartment. "Well, unless he's a covert pervert, I don't think he'll want to watch anymore of what we do at said club."

Hinata shook her head at his joking; lightly tapping their heads together in parting before waving as he disappeared down the street.

'Shower then bed.' Hinata mused to herself, pausing outside her door when she saw a white manila envelope on the ground with her name in neat red cursive. Hinata lifted it off the ground cautiously, shaking it to get an idea of what was inside: it sounded like stacks of paper or index cards.

Hinata gingerly opened the flap and grabbed from the pile to see what they were, shock making her instantly drop them all in a sudden panic.

They were all racy photos of herself and Naruto from the club.

Thanks for reading, I would love and appreciate any feedback ;)


	4. The Scandal

Chapter 4: The Scandal

"Well, they aren't photo-shopped." Hinata whispered to her initial dismay. That much she had figured out after meticulously going over a few of the pictures.

All of them in some form or fashion had her and Naruto in risqué poses, some so up close that she questioned if there really had been cameras in the room the night Naruto had caught Jiraiya trying to peep on them.

'I don't think Jiraiya did this though, even taking into account his perverted nature. Toneri is a more likely option, but accusing him without proper evidence wouldn't be the best way to go about doing this…' Hinata considered.

Hinata muffled a coming yawn, glancing back towards her window with a frown. The moon was already beginning to wane in the sky and she was positive dawn was going to set in soon going by the current time.

"I haven't even gone through half of these photos yet, but I should at least try and get some sleep in. I know I'm going to need to get some tasks done by the afternoon." Hinata murmured to herself, sluggishly stretching her arms out before heading to her room to complete her original goal of taking a shower and heading to bed.

She chose to leave the photos on her kitchen table, sinking into a dreamless sleep that left her languid and wary of leaving her bed hours later when her alarm clock ultimately stirred her awake.

Hinata quietly brewed herself a cup of tea to hopefully liven her spirit. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see the scattered pictures she had arranged haphazardly from the night before, a grisly and nauseating reminder that someone was taunting her about her covert sex life.

'I have to go back to the manor to warn Hanabi of Toneri's true intentions. I may not have the best proof on me, but those photos should be sufficient enough I hope.' Hinata reflected, idly taking a sip from her tea and flinching back at its bitterness; she was becoming much too distracted and worried.

Hinata set the cup down, reaching into her cabinets for the sugar and cream to boost the taste and aroma. For a moment, the permeating scent of the tea and the small breakfast she made got her mind off of how difficult the rest of the day was going to end up being.

"I'm not in this alone though, I can't forget about Naruto." Hinata mused, smiling faintly at the thought of him. Now he really would have a reason to possibly strike Toneri.

Hinata's smile faded as she focused back towards the photos. An image of Naruto sliding a finger up her dress caught her eye in particular against a crack of sunlight that slipped in through the blinds.

She almost wanted to burn or tear the snapshots into pieces, forgetting what she saw and pretending that nobody important knew about the double life she was having, but instead she placed them all back in the envelope and set it down by her purse except for the one that she had first noticed.

Hinata pulled out her phone and took a picture of the image, sending the picture to Naruto's phone along with a small message.

"Somebody knows about us."

-oOo-

Naruto frowned, trying to call Hinata back in vain over the text she had sent hours ago only to end up with her voice mail once more.

Naruto swallowed the growing lump in his throat, fighting the urge to curse in the middle of the busy intersection he stood at.

'Damn it, I knew I should have punched that asshole out when I had the chance to!' Naruto berated himself, calming himself down when he felt his phone beginning to bend under the pressure.

He had already passed by Hinata's apartment earlier, her closed blinds a private signal between them that she wasn't home at the moment.

"I don't think Hinata would immediately rush to confront that Toneri guy, but knowing that her sister is involved could make a difference." Naruto thought aloud.

Naruto stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets to hide his clenched fists from the growing odd stares he was getting, but inwardly his mind was already swirling with desires for revenge even without the confirmation of who was blackmailing them.

"You're not going to get any action from your girl if you keep having that sour look on your face." Jiraiya commented with a chuckle from beside him, breaking him from his thoughts.

Naruto maintained an irked expression at his joke causing Jiraiya to grimace when he realized his normally bright cobalt eyes had an ominous tinge to them.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue in annoyance, knowing something was up as he silently led them to an emptier part of the city away from prying eyes and ears.

"Eh, you know I'm just teasing you, right? Unless you really did say or do something to mess up your sex life…hmm maybe tried to pull one of those Kama sutra moves and failed?" Jiraiya guessed once it seemed like nobody was around, leaning his frame against an abandoned building.

Naruto continued to ignore his comments, his thoughts reeling back to the photo Hinata had shown him, of Toneri's smug expression and stares, and then finally to the idea of who was the main suspect.

"Old man, are there any perverts that visit Club 81 besides you?" Naruto suddenly remarked, regaining Jiraiya's attention. Maybe it was a good thing he had run into him after all.

Jiraiya scoffed at his insulting use of the word pervert like it was a bad thing, but shrugged his shoulders. "Hell, if I know; I would assume so going by how many men are often in and around at the gentleman's clubs and private rooms. Why, looking to add someone to you and Hinata's fun?"

Naruto scoffed, rolling his eyes at the comment. "No idiot, someone's been apparently taking suggestive photos of us and since you know the ins and outs of the club probably better than anyone else, I figured you would know about the other creeps like you."

Jiraiya flicked Naruto's forehead at that, scowling when Naruto retaliated by stomping on his foot. "Don't take your stupid grouchy attitude out on me! And anyways like I saying, I don't really pay attention to the other guys that go there. Who do you think took these raunchy pictures as you call it anyways?" 'If there really bad enough to piss Naruto off like this then I kind of want to see them for myself…'

Naruto sighed, knowing what was going through Jiraiya's head when he began to not so subtly grin lecherously.

"I'm not going to show you anything, but to answer your question I think it was Hinata's sister's boyfriend Toneri. No, in fact it has to be him with the way he kept eyeballing Hinata while we were dancing towards the end of the double date!" Naruto concluded sharply.

Jiraiya arched an eyebrow at that, smirking when Naruto began to crack his knuckles in enthusiasm. He hadn't seemed to take into consideration one factor that could easily put a dent in his so called plans for vengeance.

"How do you know definitively it was this man Toneri and not Hinata's own sister?"

-oOo-

Hinata felt cold and wet by the time she approached the steps to the compound, dark blue hair clinging to her back after a brief downpour had come down.

"Summer weather is too unpredictable at times." Hinata grumbled with a sigh, brushing away as much stray drops as she could until she saw her father approaching as she opened the front door. He and Neji looked prepared to leave out, neatly dressed in business attire with suitcases in tow.

"Hinata, what brings you by the manor today; has an emergency come up?" Hiashi questioned, narrowing his eyes he noticed her apparel. 'That jacket she has on…'

"O-Oh, nothing like that Father, I was actually wondering if Hanabi was home at the moment?" Hinata replied back quickly, trying to control her stutter. She couldn't let his usual aloof behavior whenever she came around get to her today.

Hiashi studied her expression fleetingly before nodding and pointing in the direction of her room. "She's entertaining a guest of hers from the Otsutsuki family. Perhaps you've heard of him; Neji and I are off to hold a meeting with the heads of their companies as we speak."

Hinata blinked in shock, her response falling apart in her throat at his words. 'Hanabi brought Toneri here to meet them…why?!'

Hiashi chose not to wait for her answer; opalescent eyes hardening as he gently pushed her out of the door's frame. "It would do you good as well Hinata to find a nice man like Hanabi has; after all, you're the older of the two and it doesn't look good to be hung up on past loves."

Hinata stiffened at the suggestion, faintly nodding her head. Her father was the last person she would ever take serious relationship advice from, no matter how well meaning he tried to make it sound.

Neji trailed after him, pausing to glance back at Hinata and shake his head. "Honestly Hinata, wearing one of Naruto's old jackets to come here wasn't exactly the best idea."

Hinata flustered at the mention of her supposed ex-boyfriend, quickly peeking at her jacket and realizing what Hiashi had meant. Naruto had the habit of leaving some of his clothes in her closet when he stayed for 'extended weekends' but she hadn't noticed she had grabbed one of his trademark orange jackets with the way her mind had been clouded this morning.

"It's not his; it's just looks similar to it. Naruto bought me one similar to it back when we we're dating and I was in rush so I grabbed something without really looking." Hinata lied, though was at least being truthful about being in a hurry, slightly clutching the jacket closer. She could only invent random stories to Neji for so long before he caught on…or did he even care that she was lying?

Neji simply shrugged, turning back around to follow Hiashi onto the pavement. "It doesn't help to hold onto memories like that."

Hinata bit her lip, listening as their steps faded away against the damp streets as the rain settled down into a light drizzle.

He must've known she was lying and her heart and mind dizzily raced over why he hadn't called her out on it, especially with Hiashi within hearing distance.

Hinata shook the thought away, reminded of why she came to the compound in the first place. She moved further inside to grab a spare towel from the bathroom, drying her hair and face as she heard a sigh of pleasure resonant from down the halls that made her freeze.

'They don't know I'm here; they must think they're alone.' Hinata contemplated; shivering as a trail of goosebumps crept up her skin.

Her stomach lurched as the sighs briefly grew louder the closer she got; this couldn't have been the first time they had done this.

Unsurprisingly when she knocked on Hanabi's door, her voice had an edge of fear to it as she asked for who it was.

"It's me Hinata, we all need to talk." Hinata said curtly, holding up the envelope in view of Toneri specifically once Hanabi opened her door fully.

"What's this all about Hinata? Please tell me you have a good reason for interrupting." Hanabi hissed lowly enough for only her to hear as she sat down beside her back on her bed.

Hinata nodded her head, emphasizing the packet once more. "Just look at some of these photos and you'll know why I came here."

Hanabi huffed in budding frustration, but did as she wanted. Her miffed expression slowly morphed into one of disgust until she shoved the photos back into the envelope. "Who…who would take these photos of you?"

When Hinata didn't immediately answer, Hanabi gritted her teeth in realization as she stood up. "Wait, you came here to accuse Toneri, didn't you?!"

Toneri chose to watch the sisters silently, but his gaze eventually caught with Hinata's and he grinned beneath the palm of his hand once she stood as well. "Listen, Toneri even now I can tell is not the person you think he is. I-"

"You came her on a whim thinking Toneri is the cause of all this?! He isn't some pervert…I don't even have to keep him a secret from father and Neji anymore unlike you." Hanabi interrupted.

Hinata flinched, but Hanabi moved to grab her hand and lead her out of the room to continue on. Behind her, she could faintly hear Toneri's laugh echo against the wall.

"Hinata, Toneri is the first guy I've been with that isn't with me for ulterior motives like you think. All the past guys I've dated only were with me to get closer to you. I-I don't even blame them sometimes, you're kind, pretty, and have a nice body to top it all off." Hanabi explained softly.

Hinata gained a puzzled look, frowning at the tears rimming along her sister's eyes. 'She never told me about any of this, but she could be trying to guilt trip me.'

"Hanabi, you trust me, don't you?" Hinata finally asked, shifting to wipe away her tears until she pushed her back.

"Of course I do Hinata; I look up to you after all. So… so why can't you let me be happy like you are with Naruto?!" Hanabi asked; her voice hoarse as she pushed the envelope back into her hands.

Hinata reached her hands out to her again, sighing when Hanabi moved out of reach once more. She was picking pent up longings and self-indulgent thrills again, not wanting to allow her to comfort her even when she saw the tears slide down her cheeks.

"Hanabi, this passionate and sensual relationship you believe you have with Toneri is only a temporary escape from reality. Don't forget lust and love are two different things." Hinata warned, meeting her gaze one final time before turning to go.

Hanabi felt her face grow hot in a mix of shame and humiliation, straightening up when she noticed her body was beginning to tremble. 'She always thinks she's right; why is she so against this relationship when Toneri hasn't shown any cruel intentions…unless is she seeing something I'm not?'

The thought was almost enough to make her run after Hinata to apologize, but her pride kept her silent and unmoving, blocking out the images of Hinata's hurt expression with malice and lies that she had to be wrong about this…about him.

Toneri was relaxing on her bed when she returned, comfortingly patting the spot beside him as he watched Hinata leave out the window. 'You didn't catch me today after all.'

"Sister problems?" Toneri assumed, chuckling when Hanabi shifted to bury her head into his chest in response.

"She treats me like such a child, you're the only person I know who thinks of me as an adult." Hanabi whispered into his chest, reaching for the buckle of his belt.

Toneri groaned at the touch, pushing her hands away while he shifted to press kisses along her cheek and neck.

"Don't let what they say get to you." He murmured against her neck, teasing at a peaked nipple through the lace of her bra. 'As long as you trust me, your sister can't stop me from being around…'

Hanabi nodded her head, moaning as she fervently reached for his shirt. "Help me to forget…please."

-oOo-

Hinata normally didn't find crying to be a catharsis for her, partly because she was always left with a throbbing headache afterwards and only the temporary relief that she had ridden herself of some tension and sadness.

Hanabi hadn't believed her… at least she didn't want to believe her with Toneri sitting close by. She had provoked the situation and all that had come from it was her straining her ties with her closest family member.

Hinata sniffed, cringing at how weak and powerless she felt. In less than 24 hours she had learned the true dangers that came with fulfilling her desires to see Naruto.

"It's about time you came home; you know I've been looking for you all day." A voice rang out, startling Hinata.

Hinata glanced in the direction of voice, stunned when she saw Naruto slumped against her doorway tiredly, blonde hair messily covering his eyes.

"W-What are you doing here?! Didn't someone see you come up?" Hinata cried out, crouching down next to him.

Naruto merely chuckled sleepily before shaking his head, but frowned when he saw the faint remnants of tear stains on her cheeks. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Hinata smiled sheepishly, squeaking softly when Naruto lightly tugged her towards his chest. Naruto casually dragged one hand through her hair while the other rubbed her back soothingly.

'How long had he been waiting here for me?' Hinata pondered, slowly moving back from him to meet his curious eyes.

"Where were you?" Naruto asked simply.

"At the compound…Hanabi didn't believe me." Hinata stated softly, wincing internally at how gruff and foreign her own voice sounded.

"I guess that shouldn't be too surprising, pictures alone aren't enough evidence to claim Toneri did it." Naruto grumbled. 'And I hate to admit it, but maybe that old pervert could be right that Toneri wasn't alone in doing this…'

"What exactly did Toneri or your sister say once you showed them the photos?" Naruto pried on.

Hinata squirmed, thinking back to the most important parts of the conversation. "Toneri didn't actually say much except sit there smirking, but Hanabi…she thinks that Toneri is the first guy who isn't trying to use her as a way to get with me."

Naruto grinned amusedly, blue eyes gaining back their usual mirth. "Well, she actually has a point there. You probably don't notice it, but many guys wish they could get to see all of you the way I can."

Hinata reddened when she felt the hand that was on her back lightly pinch her butt. Naruto's grin widened at the brief huff and annoyed look she sent him. "They don't get to hear the noises or expressions you make like that either and hey, you're wearing my stuff too!"

"Um, so to get back on topic what do you think we can do to make our evidence a bit stronger?" Hinata inquired; face growing hot when Naruto leaned back in to nibble at her ear.

"I don't want you to worry about them anymore for the rest of today Hinata; after all, I'm building up a plan to catch either him or both of them at their own games; trust me." Naruto explained.

Hinata fidgeted at his mention of her sister being somehow involved in all this, her mind suppressing even the idea of that.

If anything, Hanabi was the pawn in his plans.

-oOo-

"Why did you call me here Hinata; shouldn't you and Naruto be snuggling up between some sheets at one of Club 81's lavish rooms considering it is a Saturday night?" Hanabi questioned, glancing between the pair.

Hinata silently refrained from rising to the bait at her comment, she knew their relationship wasn't exactly on the best of terms after the events that had happened only a few days ago, but she had to remain calm and collected based on how past arguments had gone between them.

Naruto cleared his throat loudly; glad when Hanabi turned her attention off of Hinata. "So, you're actually serious about that Toneri guy, huh?"

"I'm pretty sure Hinata already told you that I am." Hanabi mused.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin. "And you don't think it's odd at all that the once we went on a double date and met him for the first time that crude photos of Hinata and I showed up at her doorstep immediately afterwards?"

"It's not like Toneri was the only guy there that could've checked Hinata out! It might've been anybody if you go back and check their security footage to find out." Hanabi exclaimed.

Hanabi peered back towards to Hinata to see if she had anything to say over all of this, her perfectly crafted stern face slipping at a single glance from her worried look.

Hinata didn't seem to be annoyed or pitying her like she expected to see, admittedly she appeared to be more embarrassed over Naruto's failed attempts at interrogating her.

'She hasn't tried to pressure me over my actions or stop me. Maybe she thinks I'm just going to break up with Toneri on my own.' Hanabi thought, reaching for her purse. "I'm going to be meeting with Toneri soon for a date, I need to get going."

"Hold on, Hinata and I aren't done asking you questions yet!" Naruto bellowed out to her, getting up to follow her back outside his apartment.

To his and Hinata's surprise, Toneri was already waiting for her by a nearby streetlight, ruffling Hanabi's hair gently as she raced into his arms.

Toneri peered back up towards the two, ignoring Naruto's movement towards him with a clear willingness to fight. Hinata reached out to grab his hand, squeezing it until she felt his fists begin to loosen.

Toneri scoffed at the blatant display of affection, giving Hinata a flirtatious smile while mouthing to her distinctly 'There's still more to come.'

Given Naruto's mouth back towards him to shut up along with a colorful stream of curses, he had seen the action as well because his eyes softened towards hers in concern once the pair were truly gone, clasping and rubbing her hands in the best way he thought could comfort her. "Are you okay?"

Hinata shook her head, mustering a weak smile to tell him she would be fine, but they mutually knew his words would play in a haunting repetition in the backs of their minds for at least awhile.

'We've been too careless.' Hinata realized as they walked back inside; it had been risky starting this affair in the first place though Naruto eventually began to smirk wickedly at her once more in a way that she couldn't resist giggling at.

They both weren't going to back down that easily.

A/N: I don't think I can say it enough, but thanks for all the responses, favorites, follows, and reading. Any feedback as always is appreciated! :-)


	5. Escapades

Rated: M - English - Romance/Drama - Reviews: 173 - Published: 07-26-15 - Updated: 03-27-17 id:11406363 

Ch. 5: Escapades

Hinata quietly twirled at a loose thread on her striped blouse, meticulously wrapping it around her index finger until it eventually snapped away under the pressure and fell with a silent thump to the carpet below.

And just like that, her main distraction that had made it so easy to avoid making eye contact with the people across from her was gone.

It was unsettling really, only a few days after her squabble with Hanabi over dating Toneri did her father and Neji decide to come over and visit her out of the blue to get the true details out of her over the matter.

Her apartment felt so much more cramped with their presence and the building tension and uneasiness surrounding them all felt suffocating with no one having said much more than a few civil short exchanges since they arrived.

'They couldn't have been that busy over the past couple of days so why did they wait so long to come to me for answers or did they just assume Hanabi was telling them the truth this whole time before they decided to get my side of the story?' Hinata questioned herself, startled when Hiashi began to speak up.

"I believe you know why we came here Hinata, this wasn't for a simple check in." Hiashi implored, white eyes sharpening on her.

"It's about Hanabi and Toneri's relationship, right? I'm just worried that Toneri is taking advantage of her knowing the gap in age between them." Hinata made clear, even if it that was now becoming clear that was one of the smaller issues.

Hiashi's stance on the topic seemed unfazed with her explanation and Hinata considered elaborating further on what else she knew until Neji spoke up.

"Lately…it seems like you've been acting quite different Hinata. Distant and tight-lipped over something you've refused to share with us. What Hiashi is trying to say in so many words is that we think it could have something more to do with Naruto and not just Hanabi and the men involved in her life." Neji related, looking towards Hiashi who nodded at his explanation.

Hinata kept her face as neutral as she could, but inside her heart and mind began to race in alarm. It was bound to happen at some point that they would start to catch on to her lies, to her slip-ups in fabricated stories… and she never felt so unprepared for how to handle such a simple observation.

The very thought of it all was sending her thoughts rush into a frenzy, rushing to create any deceptive lies to throw them off track and leave her to her own private romance.

But she knew no amount of lying would probably help her now, not with the way their stern expressions abruptly changed into odd easygoing smiles, silently telling each other it was time to let her in on what else they had been up to.

'Something's been planned without my knowledge…' Hinata realized, mentally preparing herself for the worst.

"The family has been talking and we thought seeing with all that's been happening lately; we figured that it would be a good idea for us to get away from Konoha for a bit. There is a hot springs resort further up in the mountains that we've booked for the entirety of the next two weeks." Hiashi stated.

Hinata froze, unsure of what emotion to feel towards this. Happy that would be an opportunity to make amends with her sister perhaps? Sad that this would mean probably not seeing Naruto for a while? Or maybe angry that they assumed she would automatically say yes and come along obediently without question?

"A-All of the family?" Hinata murmured, looking to the both of them for confirmation.

Hiashi nodded, regarding her puzzled expression with a frown. "Yes, of course all of the family give or take a few associates and close friends coming as well. For example, Hanabi plans to invite Toneri along if he is available."

'Of course she does.' Hinata thought, resisting the urge to sigh. There goes her plan for trying to fix her broken relationship with Hanabi if he was going to be around.

Neji picked up on her sour mood and reduced his voice as Hiashi moved out of earshot to refill his glass of water in the kitchen.

"Stop thinking negatively about this, this is the perfect opportunity for you to break away from the past and move on. Naruto isn't the only guy you can date you know." Neji grumbled. 'And I'll make sure with what little time we have on this vacation all together that you indeed meet some new and better people.'

Hinata softly smiled, letting her thoughts drift as she ignored Neji's stare. Of course she knew Naruto wasn't the only man she could date, but no other guys attracted her emotionally and physically like he did. Even now, thinking about his soft smile and teasing jokes he reserved only for her made her faintly shiver.

The only thing that slightly bothered her was that this would put a wedge in the plans she and Naruto had involving Toneri's blackmail; they had spent too many of the past few days finding as much as they could secretly dig up on him.

There was no way they could let all those times go to waste simply because they wanted to distract her by finding her another suitor. Another chance like this wouldn't come back if they waited too long.

She had no intentions of putting trying to put their plan into action alone.

-oOo-

"Ugh you guys, what should I do about this?!" Naruto whined, glancing up from his empty bowl of ramen with a pout towards Sasuke and Sakura for answers.

"Why are you even telling us this?" Sasuke asked, uninterested in hearing his complaining or dealing with his whining over telling the exact same story any longer.

Naruto scoffed at Sasuke's fed up attitude. "You could at least pretend or try to care! You guys know Hinata never spends time with her family for so long! It's definitely fishy to me that they all of a sudden planned a family vacation far away from here up in the mountains." 'And at the worst timing too with all the info we just got!'

Sakura finished taking a sip from her drink before huffing. "Oh, stop being such a baby about this! It was only a matter of time before one of her family members would get suspicious to the fact that you two are still hooking up behind their backs. It's not like Hinata is leaving forever and you'll still be able to spend time again at the club for the rest of our summer break."

Naruto sulked at her scolding tone, grunting in frustration. "Geez, you've spent so much time around Sasuke that you've started to pick up his cold habits…"

"What was that?!" Sakura hissed out, green eyes narrowing as her hands began to tightly clench at her glass so much that it threatened to shatter apart.

Naruto gulped, choosing to look back outside the stand to avoid her growing glare. "Oh, nothing! Anyways, her sister apparently invited her boyfriend to come along and we've already gotten a taste of his womanizing habits. I don't want to leave her alone to deal with that."

"Then don't, I know you've never backed down from challenges in the past. It wouldn't be like you after all to not figure out a way to bypass or ignore the restrictions her family has attempted to put on you." Sasuke mused.

Naruto chuckled; a bit surprised that Sasuke was giving him actual sound advice. "Well, I suppose if I have to resort to sneaking around again…I just need Hinata to tell me the name of the place they'll be staying at and probably get the address as well."

Sakura shook her head as Naruto continued to brainstorm his plans aloud. 'He's actually getting serious about doing this.'

"There's one more reason I called you two out here today besides to just listen to my complaining. How much do you know about a guy named Toneri Otsutsuki?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura gained a look of confusion at the name, glancing towards Sasuke to see if he recognized it. Telling by the faint amused grin he was forming, it seemed like he did.

"That depends on what exactly you want to know." Sasuke considered, studying Naruto carefully.

Naruto snorted, leaning his face against his palm. "If you know something just hurry the heck up and tell me already! Anything is fine, I know a little bit about him, but I'm sure you're familiar with his backstory more than me."

Sasuke casually swirled at the leftover ramen in his bowl as he thought about the man. "The Otsutsuki family is well known for their specialty finance and construction companies, though I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that. Toneri himself is a member of the honors society at the university and I've heard he's in the running to take over as president in one of the firms his family owns in the near future."

'So it's true he really does come from a powerful background and the fact he's made connections with the Hyugas only means he could be looking to claim even more control using sneakier methods…' Naruto pondered.

"You haven't yet told us why you were so inquisitive to know about this guy." Sasuke pointed out, staring at Naruto expectantly. He at least needed to know he hadn't just wasted an hour of his day and life over nothing.

Sakura regarded him curiously as well, leaning in to hear his answer. 'Is this man really possibly competition for Hinata perhaps?'

Naruto's azure eyes shimmered mischievously, flickering with a hint of wrath that only Sasuke caught.

"For revenge."

-oOo-

"Toneri, what do you want to do first? I think we should first check out some of the nightclubs hidden away. I've heard they offer shots and games that not even Club 81 has." Hanabi purred out suggestively, hugging Toneri's arm. It was approaching the early evening hours and after spending the whole morning and majority of the afternoon having barely said much to each other during the trip up, the night could provide some much needed relaxation and alone time together.

"Hmm, oh yeah sure; that's fine." Toneri mumbled quietly, sending her a small smile before his attention shifted away from her again to look forward.

Hanabi followed where his eyes went; already knowing with a sigh that it would be on Hinata. 'No matter how adult I dress or act; his thoughts and eyes always seem to lead back to her.'

Hinata herself didn't even seem to realize he was watching her or was choosing to be oblivious of it, instead keeping her concentration fixed on her phone.

It was a sinking feeling knowing her sister was probably right about Toneri based on actions like this, her words having echoed in the back of her mind ever since their argument from days ago.

Hinata herself still had no proper proof of his supposed misbehavior though and she was sure whatever Toneri felt for her was just a fleeting attraction that most guys seemed to have for her that faded once they saw Naruto's appearance.

At least, that was what she hoped and told herself.

"I'm going to head back to my room to take a nap. It's been a long day and I hardly got any sleep on the ride up here." Hinata spoke up, turning back around to the pair.

Toneri stopped in his tracks, abruptly causing Hanabi to lose her grip on him. "Are you familiar with the way back? It is your first time in this area after all."

Hinata nodded her head, carefully keeping her distance from them as she moved to walk past them. "Yes, they have signs set up in and around the place so I'll know the direction I'm going in."

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief once she could no longer see the duo, the cool air welcoming as she picked up her pace to get back to the hotel. 'I finally have some time to myself, no family trying to set me up on future dates or Toneri's snooping activities.'

Naruto had been texting her throughout the day trying to get details of her location and while she was able to give him directions as best she could, he hadn't responded to her last text in over the past hour and now she had the chance to call and make sure he was still going in the right direction.

'This isn't such a good idea to have Naruto in such close proximity, but I doubt if Naruto is even worried about it.' Hinata considered, dialing his number.

"Is it safe for you to be calling me right now?" Naruto questioned when he picked up seconds later.

"I wouldn't if it wasn't; I'm back in my room, but where are you?" Hinata answered back, smiling at the image of a perplexed look on his face.

She could hear him eventually chuckle on the other end, his voice gaining a familiar gruff edge to it. "Oh, I'm in an around the place."

"Does that mean you're close by?" Hinata mused lightly with a giggle.

"Not exactly… I think I'm still about 30 to 45 minutes away probably, going by the traffic it will take to get up there. This must be some popular resort; maybe I should have rented out this car and left earlier in the day." Naruto replied.

Hinata leaned back into her pillows, turning on the bedsheets to try and get as comfortable as possible.

"It would be nice if you were here right now." She mentioned with a sigh. 'It would help get my mind off of all the stressful things that have been happening lately.'

Naruto snickered, dipping his voice a bit lower. "Considering if you're alone as you say; do you know all the naughty things I would do if I were next to you?"

Hinata let out a small eep; abruptly sitting back up before her voice softened, flustering at the thought of anyone passing by outside the halls listening in. "L-Like what?"

Naruto's laughter got deeper for a moment, just how far was she going to let him take this?

"It's a hot springs resort, right? It would be the perfect opportunity for you and me to skinny-dip together in the springs where I would first run my fingers along the edges of breasts, lick at each nipple until they were hardened and you cried out my name. And soon after that, I would then slowly kiss my way down closer and closer to the point where…"

"Hold on, what makes you think I would let you just tease me like that Naruto? Maybe the steam from the springs made you forget I would want to play with you too." Hinata interrupted casually, beaming inwardly at his abrupt pause to think of something.

It was fortunate that Naruto was at a stoplight when she said that, but she continued on. "To leave off where you were as you got near to me for a taste, I would push you back slowly and brush my hands towards your crotch, brushing my fingers against your thighs all the way until I was finally at your cock. Kissing and nibbling at the tip of it until you…"

"Fuck, we need to stop this; I'm going to get into an accident if you even finish that sentence." Naruto grunted out.

Hinata bit her lip, letting a low moan escape in agreement as her breathing steadied. In the heat of their dirty conversation she hadn't even realized she had shut her eyes and begun to slip off the edge of the bed.

She hazily heard Naruto state his battery was dying and he would text later and she surprised herself by still being able to manage out a feeble okay as he hung up.

Hinata risked a peek down to nether regions, reddening at how sticky and sweaty she felt. 'Now really would be a good time to test out the hot springs.'

"Did we in a roundabout sort of way have phone sex?" Hinata asked herself in the mirror as she changed into one of the hotel's complimentary bath robes.

Her cheeks reddened further as her attention was thrown back to the clothes she had on only minutes ago; flung to the ground in haste motion from how excited she had gotten. She made a mental note to take them to the laundry facility later on in the week while moving to put them in a dirty linen bag and out of view.

Anything she did while staying at this resort could easily be used against her if she wasn't careful enough. 'And it would probably be spun in a way to try and make me or Naruto look bad…'

Normally she would be against going through with Naruto's ideas so quickly without properly thinking them through, especially with the risks that came with anyone from her family seeing Naruto around her again. It was painful and heart wrenching listening to their lectures and disapproving looks during the times when they had first dated out in the open, but her fears fell away when Toneri's smug smile came to mind.

He obviously had no qualms about using suggestive photos against them for his own benefit and over the past few days they had played dirty too to make sure he knew they could be crafty as well.

'By later tonight everything will at last fully go into motion.'

-oOo-

"You've been awfully quiet ever since we got here, what's going on?" Hanabi questioned Hinata, glancing away from the star formations beginning to appear above them. 'Toneri was the one who taught me about these constellations and yet he…' 

She scoffed lightly under her breathe, shaking the memory away. She could deal with that problem another time.

Hinata washed the mineral water off her face as her vision adjusted back to her sister. "Nothing, I'm just trying to wake myself up after lazing in my room for most of early evening."

"If that's the case, you should consider hitting the town with Toneri and I; we're going to check out some of the underground venues like I mentioned earlier and get a taste of the nightlife and scenic views around here." Hanabi explained.

Hinata blinked, frowning at Hanabi's growing smile. "About that…I thought we were eating dinner with the rest of the family after this?"

Hanabi huffed, waving off her presumption. "Oh, we have plenty of time to spend with the family in the coming days, it will get quickly boring if we stay cooped up in our hotel rooms or around here! All I need to do is let Neji know where we'll be going and around what time we'll be back; besides, I…I want to apologize for how I've acted lately. I don't like arguing or being mad at you for so long."

Hinata beamed at her apology, wafting towards her. Even if it hadn't seemed like it, she was sure Hanabi had gained some doubt about Toneri if she no longer wanted to dispute her claims as much.

"So, you've thought about what I said involving Toneri, right; you've seen the way he's looked at me?" Hinata assumed.

Hanabi pouted, refusing to properly address her questions. "Look, all I want is to be able to enjoy the rest of today and not bring up any negativity or hostile accusations, okay?"

Hinata's smile slipped for a second at her words before she quickly put it back on, lilac eyes softening as she pulled her sister in for a hug. "Fine, I'll be on my best behavior." 'She'll learn the real truth about him before the night is over anyways.'

Hanabi giggled, pretending to squirm out of her hug. "Stop it; your big breasts are going to crush me!"

Hanabi's giggles turned into full blown laughter as Hinata swiftly let her go. "Oh, you know I'm just messing with you sis! I'm sure Naruto has no problem with your bust size."

Hinata made no comment to that, but felt like sinking her head underwater to avoid her teasing grin even with the sustained heat of the hot spring having made her gain a mix of pruney skin and lightheadedness after having stayed in the waters for this long.

At least they were somewhat regaining back their normal sisterly bond.

"Sorry we keep you waiting!" Hanabi chimed out happily, approaching Toneri for a hug once they had dried off and changed. Toneri accepted it halfheartedly, gaze shifting to Hinata who hung back behind them.

"You're coming along with us?" He asked in mild surprise, smirking at her brief annoyed expression. She couldn't do anything about his presence in her life, whether she liked it or not.

"I just wanted to do a little sightseeing to start out this vacation." Hinata answered simply, maintaining her usual good space away from the pair as they walked ahead.

Her phone's abrupt buzzing made her take her eyes off of them, reminded of the plan when she saw it was Naruto. Subtly, she glanced over her shoulder and saw him watching them from the shadows; his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Where are you guys going?" He hadtexted to her quickly.

Hinata peered back up to make sure Toneri was still occupied with Hanabi before quickly typing a message back.

"Change of plans slightly, follow us to the club."

-oOo-

'I'm going to have a headache by the end of tonight.' Hinata concluded to herself, observing Toneri head to the outdoor bar to get them drinks. This was truly an embarrassing habit she was developing, heading off to strange clubs throughout the night and becoming used to the site of random couples making out or grinding against each other in ways that were much too close to be simply called 'dancing.'

Hinata couldn't definitely call herself an expert at club-hopping, but even she knew this current nightclub they were at dubiously named XY or maybe it was XXX as she heard based on what many of the guests apparently liked to call it was a far cry from the features and luxuries that Club 81 had… or maybe she just wanted to imagine Club 81 was never this trashy.

While the dancefloor and lounge areas weren't as big, the outside offered a mini lagoon and gambling area that many of the partygoers had clustered around. The scent of booze and smoke permeated the air as she lowered her head to avoid it all burning her eyes and throat.

'I guess I can't really talk about what people like to do at places like this considering I've already used our local club for risqué hookups with Naruto…' Hinata mused, blushing at where her thoughts were heading. She hoped Naruto hadn't gotten lost amidst the growing crowds.

"Isn't this place exciting?! It's not at Club 81's level in terms of size and DJ's, but it's still got the same fun and easygoing atmosphere." Hanabi pointed out giddily.

Hinata warily nodded her head, it was beginning to get a bit disconcerting too that Hanabi knew so much about clubs in and around Konoha that she was mainly still unaware of.

"Here you are ladies, a pineapple and fruit punch blend for Hanabi and merely just some water for you Hinata?" Toneri stated, holding the glasses out to them respectively.

"I'm not a big drinker." Hinata murmured; glad the coolness of the water was temporarily warding off her migraine.

Toneri himself hadn't ordered anything, but she saw how his silver eyes had focused to her lips as she took a couple of sips from her drink and she felt a rise of a revulsion shift through her stomach. Hanabi once again caught his stare and she discreetly tapped her cheek in a way that got Hinata's attention.

She wanted to be left alone with him.

Hinata grimaced for a moment at leaving her alone, especially with all that was happening around them, but Hanabi's expression remained unchanged as she persisted with the signal.

"I…I want to check out the views and the other side of the pool; I'll be right back." Hinata spoke up, hastily stretching her arms out and turning to go.

She had only walked a few meters before she caught sight of Naruto, heatedly trying to refrain from punching out one of the bartenders.

"Damn it, all I asked was if you had seen this creep with silvery whitish hair hanging around two girls; one with violet hair and the other brown! It's a simple yes or no question!" Naruto griped.

The bartender sighed, focusing on attending to the other guests before speaking up again. "And I told you already, that isn't a good enough description! Now either order a drink or take your crappy problems elsewhere!"

Hinata quickly rushed to tap his back before he winded up getting himself kicked out or into a fight. "Naruto, it's all right; I'm right here! You could've simply called."

Naruto turned in surprise, anger dissipating at her worried look. "Oh, there you are! And you know I would've tried calling if it weren't for how noisy and stuffy it is all around here."

Hinata couldn't help but agree. The high energy of the dancefloor's music mixed with the rampant state of lewd and aggressive behaviors brought on by all the available alcohol surrounding them was overwhelming. Partygoers were now starting to either tipsily fall into the lagoon or rushing to nearby bushes to relieve themselves.

Naruto guided them away to a quieter area, entertained by Hinata's growing relaxed composure. "I think we can hear ourselves think and talk now that we're out of all that clatter."

Hinata sent him a small smile back at his smirk, plopping down into the grass beside him. About the only thing she was finally enjoying getting out of coming up here was seeing Naruto and his presence seemingly mimicking the view of the city down below, streetlights illuminating the sky and roads with the burnt orange he always liked to wear.

Naruto meanwhile snuck a piece of ice from her glass of water she had kept on holding, startling her when he pressed it to her neck. "Hinata, you're so rattled even though I'm sure you were nowhere near the dancefloor or any of that liquor..."

Her breath hitched when he moved to lick away at the falling drops, sighing when he motioned for her to come into his lap.

"I-I left Hanabi with Toneri; I hope he doesn't try anything on her." Hinata managed to get out between pants, reach a hand up to softly cling to the strands of his blonde hair.

Naruto paused in his ministrations at his name, eyes darkening. "I brought along the evidence; we can ambush them now if you want."

Hinata shook her head, grabbing another ice cube to brush against his lips and downward when he opened his mouth to retort.

"We can allow them 10 minutes more and that's it. Who knows how much alone time we may truly get after this?"

-oOo-

"Please be honest with me Toneri, you didn't play any role in those risqué photos of my sister and her boyfriend, did you?" Hanabi questioned.

Toneri hid his growing scowl, wasn't this the third time in a row now she had asked him this same question? "I played no role in that, for you to keep asking me over and over…"

Hanabi winced at his tone; he was becoming impatient with her just as much as she was with his responses.

"I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable if I didn't catch all these sneaky peeks you keep having at Hinata." 'You never look at me the same way you look at her!'

Toneri arched an eyebrow at that, brushing a hand through his hair. "Hinata is a pretty woman, exactly like you. You have no reason to hold onto to this petty jealousy when you yourself are a top fighter, smart, and have your family's approval to one day run their companies in place of Hinata."

Hanabi blushed at the compliments, feeling the knot in her chest ease somewhat. The last compliment was rather strange though, when had he learned about their father's plans for the future?

"Do you have an idea who could've possibly done it though, Hinata and Naruto will continue to assume it's you." Hanabi pried on.

'That's because it was me, but since they have no proof, everything they say is only going on a hunch. Hinata soon enough will have to start hearing out my demands seriously.' Toneri considered, grasping Hanabi's hand. She stiffened at the touch briefly, goosebumps rising on her arm from such a simple act of affection.

Toneri internally chuckled at the pinkish tinges rising to her cheeks; she always got weak in the knees from small gestures like this that made her revert back to teenager she truly was.

She was so immature and naïve when it came to matters of sex and love even if she didn't want to admit out loud. It bided him the perfect time to tease and sweet talk her into forgetting her why she was mad at him or questioning him about his true intentions every single time.

Hanabi was about to speak up again when she saw her sister approach from behind Toneri, eyes widening when she saw Naruto walking beside her with what appeared to a be… a very stuffed folder?

Toneri noticed her concerned stare towards behind him and turned to look as well, slightly startled at Naruto's appearance, but more so at the silly grin he had on.

"I didn't expect you to follow us all the way up here, especially knowing how most of the Hyugas think of you." Toneri said, haughtiness faltering when Naruto's smile only appeared to grow wider.

Hinata peered at Hanabi to gauge how she was reacting, but whatever anger, sadness, or doubt she might've had on her face had been momentarily taken away with her concentration focused towards the folder within Naruto's hands.

"What's inside that folder?" Hanabi asked, swallowing back an additional lump coming. 'It can't be more photos. Toneri was here with me the whole time; he has a perfect alibi.'

Naruto snickered, sliding the folder open to reveal pages and files that were too hard to make out from her position except for one titled in bold black ink: Crime Report. "I'm glad you asked; why don't you have here Toneri tell you, hmm?"

Hanabi looked to Toneri for some sort of answer, speechless and worried by his sudden hardened expression.

She had never seen his face contorted in such silent fury, knuckles turning a pale white at how tight he had balled them. His gaze never did end up meeting hers, eyes pierced and unmoving as Naruto began to gleefully play his 'trump card.'

Naruto was obviously pleased and amused at his steadily rising reaction, glimpsing towards Hinata who wordlessly nodded for him to continue on.

"Hinata's family may not think much of me right now, but all of that could change once they find out what I know about you." Naruto said in a sing song voice. Hinata smiled at his joking before turning to face Toneri once more with her own satisfied grin.

"You're not the only one who knows how to blackmail."

A/N: With school back in session, I'll have slower updates seeing as while fanfiction is a good stress reliever; it is also a major distraction! Lol I appreciate any feedback and as always, thank you for reading. :]


	6. Nostalgic

Chapter 6: Nostalgic

If looks could actually kill, she was sure Naruto would be dead at least ten times over by now.

Naruto laughed, eyes sparkling in amusement as he waved the folder tauntingly back and forth in front of Toneri's face. "Can't talk big now, can you? Who would've thought the so called perfect pretty boy was involved in fraudulent schemes..."

Toneri's gaze remained fixed upon the stacks of paper, gritting his teeth until he managed to pull off a convincing enough faux smile while holding a hand up to stop him.

"Don't think just because you have some info on my past that the Hyuga family's opinion of you will suddenly change. You'll always been seen as the pest who can never seem to leave Hinata's life." Toneri regarded, roaming his eyes back towards Hinata's briefly before turning to go.

Hanabi was broken from her dazed expression as Toneri moved to roughly shove past her, opalescent eyes sharpening on his back as she moved to catch up with him. Crowd goers remained oblivious to what had just gone on as he pushed his way towards the exit of the club. 'Where is he going?! I'm not letting him just leave without an explanation!'

"Hanabi, don't go after him!" Hinata called out to her, sighing under her breath when her cry got drowned out amongst the blast of the DJ's music intermixed with the cheering from the mass of people.

"Ha, did you see that look upon his face? Man, I wish I had taken a picture to truly capture the moment!" Naruto cheered out, grinning victoriously as if he had just won the lottery, even Naruto hadn't seemed to pay any mind to Hanabi's reaction.

Hinata couldn't help but smile a little despite her scrambled emotions over all that had occurred, his silliness always finding a means to cheer her up in ways he didn't yet know. Though the rush of joy she had been feeling from finally getting payback on Toneri began to fade quickly as it grew deeper into the night and early morning hours.

And it was all because doing this plan had hurt the one person she never wished had gotten involved in all of this: Hanabi.

A part of her wondered if she was just trying to make her worry more by not answering any of her calls or texts during the whole way back to the hotel.

In the stillness of her dark bedroom, Naruto picked up on the frustration she had been trying to hide since the incident, shifting over in the covers towards her. "What's wrong; having second thoughts about inviting me in when your cousin is sleeping next door?"

Hinata shook her head, feeling her cheeks grow hot at Naruto's rise of a suspicious brow. "No, you know it's not that! It's just, I keep thinking about the fact that Hanabi stubbornly followed after Toneri and how we didn't really stop them after all these things he's done. She won't even respond to my messages..."

Hinata trailed off slowly, Naruto brushing his fingers against her lips in silent understanding; leaving behind a path that made her shiver.

Naruto leaned up from his pillow, eyes silently following hers to back outside. The moon had already begun it's descent in the sky and most of the streetlights had started to flicker on and off in an effort to conserve energy.

While the mountain range provided an extraordinary view during the daylight hours, trying to wander around after the pair in the night in unfamiliar territory was too risky.

Especially with knowing that Toneri was still probably pissed off at them for gloating.

"Hanabi is an experienced fighter who has handled guys at least twice Toneri's size and you've said it yourself that she was going to have to learn the hard way about his past. She's not knowledgeable or mature enough when it comes to things like this." Naruto eventually stated after thinking it over carefully.

"And who are we to really talk based on our own actions of having to sneak around? After all, is it really 'mature' that we've been using a club to sleep together? Hinata questioned back, reddening at the specific memories and details that came to mind. 'We sound like hypocrites.'

Naruto felt himself begin to blush as well, coughing to keep down his embarrassment. "Well…it's different when it comes to us! I've known and dated you for a much longer period of time than for however long they've been possibly going out! Besides, we won't have to use the sleazier side of club 81 forever."

Hinata rolled over back into sheets towards his warmth, humming lightly as he started to draw his fingers through her hair. Naruto grew oddly quiet again as his cobalt eyes narrowed deep in thought.

"You know, sometimes I think even if I went on to get a certification, masters, even maybe a doctorate and ran a successful company or something your family would still continue to see me as some punk kid who ran around doing pranks back in high school. I think they would try even nastier methods to get rid of me if it wasn't against the law." Naruto considered jokingly.

"I-It's hard for them to break grudges or their old-fashioned ways once an idea gets set in stone and they think by us supposedly 'breaking up' that I'll date one of their possible suitors. Even Neji likes to follow that tradition and I know he's broken it before when it came to Tenten." Hinata spoke up hastily. 'I don't want him to believe I think any less of him or don't love him just because of what my family thinks or wants, they wouldn't be able to stand the truth about our relationship. Not yet.'

Naruto reached out to gently pat her cheeks, smirking at the heat radiating from them while he tugged her closer for a kiss. "He's not the only who likes to break the rules..."

Hinata laughed softly in agreement, teasing at the strands of his blonde hair as he slowly deepened their caress, lingering and yearning to explore her body just like nights before. He gradually pressed her down into the sheets, pausing in removing the remainder of their clothes when Hinata's moan brought him back to reality.

Naruto leaned up from her, brushing away at the sheen of sweat lighting her face. "It wouldn't be best for me to stay much longer. Heh, if I fall asleep here I could wake up in the morning without ALL of my body parts!"

It took Hinata a moment to catch her breath as her mind whirled to comprehend his statement before she sputtered in realization. "T-They wouldn't do something that cruel!"

Naruto snickered at her pouting, kissing her forehead gently to enjoy the last remnants of their shared afterglow. "Nonetheless, I'm not going to take my chances. You get some sleep while it's still dark out."

Hinata instead sat up, wrapping the pale white covers of the bed around her frame as Naruto slipped back on his now crumpled jeans and shirt. "You're…you're not going to try and go after Toneri alone, are you?"

"Hmm, well I think it would be best for me to keep an eye out around the place at least for Hanabi to come back safely, plus now that Toneri knows I'm here I'm going to need keep a bit of a distance for a while." Naruto explained.

Hinata slowly nodded her head, when had he gotten the time to think these ideas so far through? She subtly noticed a flash of anger rise upon his face before he gave her his usual goofy grin and a lively blow of a kiss goodbye.

She smiled faintly back by playing along and catching said kiss, ignoring the growing knot in her stomach by forcing herself to sincerely believe her vision had just played a trick on her.

The morning hours soon approached faster than she desired and she was awoken to what sounded like a large commotion coming from towards the kitchen. Hinata winced as she slowly approached the banquet hall, most of the Hyuga family either scurrying around the halls or muttering to themselves in small circles.

Hinata scanned back towards the main dining table, sleepiness drifting away as adrenaline rapidly kicked in.

The seats where Toneri and Hanabi had normally sat at since they're arrival to the hot springs were empty.

-X-

"I keep telling you I don't know where they're at. I was hoping they would be back by morning." Hinata murmured, repeating the same line over. She chewed at the inside of her cheek shakily, subconsciously gripping at her robe when Neji continued to regard her sharply. How could she be so nervous when the topic didn't even involve her and Naruto?

Neji obviously didn't seem to think she was worried enough over the situation, maybe because it had taken her awhile to get up and help scourge the area for the missing duo. It wasn't as if she could do much anyways with a light mist having set in during earlier part of dawn, temporarily delaying most anybody from heading deeper into the forests surrounding them.

Neji sighed, peering at the morning dew settling across the blades of grass by the porch. "Yes well, but you were one of the last people that saw them together. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to be okay with you all going out last night…"

Hinata said nothing back, trying to make out anything across the horizon that wasn't covered by gray fog.

'Don't treat me like a child, we're both adults.' Hinata itched to say back, but instead she kept the thought to herself. It was too early to try and start an argument that would make her slight headache even worse.

"This situation is becoming serious and I'll be frank with you, I know you and Naruto are still sneaking off together. I don't know if it's just your hormones or all the pent up desires after having not dated him for him so long is all over the place but that doesn't mean…"

Neji was shortly cut off as Hinata let out a loud huff. The absolute last thing she wanted or needed to hear was her cousin trying in a poor attempt to discuss and advise her on her sex life!

"I would appreciate it if you didn't give me any details on how much you know about the topic and I'm sure we could both do without you trying to give me guidance on what goes on in the bedroom and beyond." Hinata related softly, resisting the urge to smile a little at his uncomfortable squirm and quick nod of agreement.

'How Tenten ever succeeded in breaking his stoic nature is beyond me.' Hinata pondered, sighing when Neji cleared his throat once more to get her attention.

"To get back to my main point, it's that Hanabi picks up on how you deal with men and relationships from watching you and you're not setting the best example for her by committing to a secret sin." Neji described.

"My relationship with Naruto wouldn't be so taboo in the first place if the whole family wasn't against him over such petty reasons. He's not rich or that he has a supposed vulgar personality aren't good enough excuses for me." Hinata countered.

Neji this time didn't answer, instead sitting in silence to listen from the distance Hiashi order some of his top assistants to head in the northwest direction to search for the pair. Hinata cocked her head slightly their way to pick up on the commands as well. The men were all dressed alike in what appeared to be combat gear. Her eyes for a second caught Hiashi's and she stiffened at the stinging gaze he sent back before he went on with his briefings.

Hinata scowled, frustrated that her voice caught in her throat just from a single glare. 'You're not even leading your workers in the right direction they went off in…'

Beside her she could hear Neji standing up surely to go meet up with him, but not before muttering one last piece of his input.

"If you really don't want me informing Hiashi of your secretive life, then you should finally cut your ties with Naruto." Neji stated.

"Is that a threat?" Hinata muttered, standing up as well to make him pause in leaving.

"Make of it what you will; just know it wouldn't be wise of you to bring Naruto by here again." He ultimately answered back, continuing on again and leaving her alone to her thoughts once more.

Her face grew aflame at his awareness of what happened last night, her shoulders tensing in shock before sagging as his words began to finally weigh heavily on her mind. On some level, he had always known from the get go of the affair and only now was he finally deciding to try and put a stop to it before Hiashi surely caught on as well.

The thought was much more harsh and distressful than she wished it to be, burning at her chest until she let a quiet sob escape into the echoes of the now empty halls. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, craving something after having only drunk some water and few appetizers over the past few hours.

Fear and pressure to succeed had been common tactics used against her in the past and just the idea that they thought they could still manipulate her was nauseating.

"Naruto, I wonder if you also miss the days from when our relationship wasn't this wild." Hinata whispered to herself.

The scents coming from the kitchen were too warm and cozy and she could easily end up falling asleep and wasting time if she lingered for too long with fresh odors of coffee, tea, and other assorted items from the earlier breakfast run still scattered about.

She grabbed for a leftover bagel and applied a small slab of butter while moving to peer out the window to get a good view of the split teams heading out. The morning fog was at last beginning to lift and she could faintly make out Neji's figure beside her father's in the grassy plains. The sunlight fell against their backs as they headed along the tracks of the rolling hillside.

She studied them carefully, tempted again to holler to them that she had a strong idea that they were heading in the wrong direction of where Hanabi went, but her mind kept her mouth stubbornly shut as it bitterly teased her with reminders of Neji's earlier comments and Hiashi's disapproving stare.

It's not like they would end up believing her anyways.

'I know Hanabi might probably push me away if I tried to join the search party after all that's happened, but I know I'm the only one who understands on some level what she's going through even if she feels embarrassed. No one in the Hyuga family wants another scandal like the one I have with Naruto on their hands.' She reiterated to herself tiredly.

Why did Hanabi seem to still want to repeat her mistakes even after her warnings…to be secretive and conflicted over a relationship that so many wished would just die? The rumors and gossip she heard about her own discretions was not something Hanabi should ever have to deal with.

Her mind and heart had gone to war over this issue so many times before and for what seemed like a fleeting second, memories of when her relationship with Naruto was only budding slowly came back to life.

-X-

1 year ago

"You know if you really want, we could simply just properly introduce you to Naruto." Sakura spoke up, keeping her voice casual.

Hinata blinked, focusing her attention back on the forest green eyes watching her every move. She could feel her face growing hot at having been caught staring once again.

"N-No, I've already told you guys I don't want or need you to do that. We've talked a few times in between classes anyways." She murmured.

Sakura only sighed, giving a nod in Ino's direction who smirked wordlessly in agreement before they both simultaneously turned to face her.

Those grins they had on were much too naughty to overlook.

"So then…what would you say if you knew we've been doing some research into those posters Naruto's been gazing at over the past couple of days?" Ino inquired curiously.

"I would say it would mean you want me to get involved in some way, right?" Hinata guessed back, frowning when that seemed to only make their grins even wider.

"To cut to the chase, Naruto is planning on entering that ramen eating contest coming up this weekend at Ichiraku's. Supposedly, first prize are complimentary gift certificates to some of the best buffets and noodle restaurants around the city." Sakura explained.

'I think I unfortunately know where they're going with this.' Hinata realized, curling at her toes anxiously.

"I know you guys think entering the contest would be a good way to talk more to Naruto, but is that really such a good idea? I mean, I'm not a big eater." Hinata pointed out.

Ino shook her head in disagreement, waving off her concern with a grin. "Oh, it doesn't matter how much you eat Hinata as long as you use it as an opportunity to converse with Naruto a bit at one of his favorite spots! And if you're lucky, you could win second place's prize of an exclusive night at a love hotel…"

Hinata broke into a fit of stutters and embarrassment at her insinuations while Sakura only furrowed her brows at the suggestion.

"Why would Teuchi even allow that to be an option in the prizes?!" Sakura questioned, grimacing at the thought of the sleazy hotels littered around the red light districts.

"That would probably be because Jiraiya ended up being one of the sponsors for the event last year and somehow brought more revenue in with his 'tactics'." Ino mused, chuckling at Sakura's brief grumble that of course he did.

Sakura looked back in Hinata's direction, noticing she had begun to fiddle with her hair. Sakura lightly tapped the table in an effort to get her attention once more, smiling at her sheepishness.

"Don't think of it as a competition Hinata, think of it more as a chance to finally break a bit out of your comfort zone!" She advised cheerfully, Ino whooping alongside her.

Hinata nodded her head, glad for their moral support, but not so much on the fact that only later on in the day did she learn they had already signed her up for said contest already.

'It's a good thing that I ate a light breakfast, but it seems like I might not even place with all the other competitors here…" Hinata noted, spotting Choji, Kiba, and other fan favorites from last year's challenge amongst the crowds once the day the competition arrived.

"Hey Hinata, what are you doing here?! Come to cheer me on?" Naruto asked from behind her, causing all her thoughts to become muddled.

"U-Um, well actually I'm going to be one of the participants this year." Hinata squeaked out in a hurry, part of her hoping he hadn't heard everything she had said.

Telling by his facial expression though, he had.

Naruto chuckled, blue eyes gleaming as he took a step closer to her to whisper in her ear. "You do know I was last year winner though, right? I don't intend to hand over my title that easily."

"I'm aware of the fact." Hinata managed to reply back calmly, quivering at how close his teeth were to his ear, how warm his breathe was on her skin.

Naruto slowly leaned back, fox like grin never leaving his face. "Good luck to you then." Hinata simply nodded back, heading towards the stands where the eat-off would occur. Internally repeating one mantra: 'Don't let the flirting distract you.'

An hour later and 40 plus bowls of miso ramen, Hinata was declared the dark horse victory.

"Folks, we have a surprising new winner that has usurped the throne from Naruto! First year entry Hinata Hyuga; please come up and claim your prize!" Teuchi announced into the crowds.

Hinata flustered at the stunned looks she got from the crowd, picking out Sakura and Ino giving her thumbs up and waves. She quickly went to the stage to accept the award, not even have expected to place, let alone get the top prize.

"Ugh, I don't know how you did it Hinata, but you somehow got the best of me; congrats." Naruto slurred out, wiping away at a stray noodle on his cheek; the 36th bowl had been his limit.

Hinata laughed gently at his wooziness, startling him and even herself when she grabbed onto his hand to help steady him. "I honestly didn't expect to win with how many big eaters there were."

Naruto clenched his stomach, forcing a grin when he caught Hinata's worried look. "Oh, don't worry about me; I just need to sleep this all off heh! Though whenever you feel like using one of those certificates and need a friend to tag along…"

"I'll make sure to call you." Hinata finished for him with a smile.

They officially started trying out the noodle houses and buffets a week later, moving from a variety of traditional themed restaurants into upscale lavish hideaways neither had known about.

Naruto swirled at his bowl a bit more quietly than normal, knowing lavender eyes scrutinized his uneasy look. They had picked Spindle Konoha, named after being one of the few restaurants that gave a revolving view of the city as their last restaurant they had amongst the gift certificates.

He should've been happy to even be allowed in such a high end place, but by the end of tonight…

"So, I've been thinking…you're family doesn't really like me; do they?" Naruto spoke up, keeping his tone relatively calm for such an awkward subject.

Hinata froze for a moment, glancing up from her broth. "Well, u-umm it didn't really help that one time you told Neji to take the stick out of his ass."

Naruto chuckled, recalling the appalled look and glare he got from that when he had unexpectedly stayed over longer for dinner at her place a couple of weeks ago to finish up on a joint project. "It was worth it to get that giggle and blush out of you though, even when you tried to cover it up."

Hinata flustered, quickly eyeing her soup again. 'I know something else must be troubling Naruto, he only ever gets this quiet when something is deeply on his mind...'

"You're still thinking about what else my father said to you as well back then though, aren't you?" Hinata asked gently, snapping him from his musings.

"It's not a big deal really; he's not the first person to tell me I'll never make it through college. It only makes me want to prove him wrong even more." Naruto stated, glancing out into the skyline view. 'I won't be able to take Hinata to places like this in future unless I get more serious about work and school now. No more slacking off or skipping classes.'

Hinata sulked, unsure what to say as the dinner went on quietly. It wasn't until they were both outside did Naruto speak up again.

"I don't know how you feel, but I've had a lot of fun going to these places with you, trying all these new foods I had never even heard of…learning about you." Naruto related.

"I did too Naruto…I did too." She repeated; breathe quickening under Naruto's stare when he gently pulled her into him.

He had given her looks like this in the past before, sometimes when he thought she wasn't looking. A desire and longing gaze that she was sure had been on her face many times just as much.

"Can, I?" He asked lowly against her lips, fingers reaching to brush against the curve of her chin.

"Please." Hinata mumbled back, standing up on her tippy toes to meet him halfway.

Somewhere in the midst of each touch, each moan, each kiss was the hint thrown out of the love hotel Naruto had won and she agreed.

"Don't hide them from me Hinata; I want to see your breasts." Naruto murmured, slipping one hand to pull her bra up and away while the other teased at the edge of her panties.

Hinata moaned; shifting into his clothed erection as he finished pulling her dress down and away, crying out his name as his lips descending on their nipples until they grew taut.

Naruto chuckled lowly, rising off of her to remove his own clothes. "I'll never get tired of hearing you call out my name, kissing you, or loving you no matter what anyone says…"

"Naruto, I-"Hinata started, unease almost making her want to put a halt to their actions when she saw it was already later than the time she said she would be back at the compound. Lilac eyes opened to hazily watch him, able to dimly make out the outline of his figure as he tossed away his shirt and began to unzip his pants.

Hinata struggled not to groan, face getting hot as she squeezed her eyes closed again until she heard Naruto's voice's muffled into her skin. "I love you." He muttered into the crevice of her neck, member throbbing as he pushed into her warmth.

Hinata yelped, fingers digging into his back, moving up her hips to meet his thrusts. She whispered her love for him in return; the pleasure soon overtaking the pain.

The fear of getting caught quickly drifted from her mind.

That night was supposed to have been the last time she had gotten intimate with Naruto, but she had ended up seeking out his warmth again and again just as he had with her. She eventually took to even moving into a small apartment just avoid the questions her family probed her with over why she was always gone so long on the weekends.

Now though, none of that seemed to matter because Club 81 soon became the new alternative to love hotels or switching off between their apartments.

Hinata slowly stirred her eyes open, images of the past fading back into depths of her thoughts. It was because of those various meetings that situations like this had arisen because all the while Hanabi had been comparing her own romantic endeavors to hers.

She quietly gritted her teeth, balling her hands up as she pushed herself away from the table as worry hit her hard; making her break into a sprint for her room. "I can't be sitting here listlessly reminiscing and yearning for days gone by while Naruto probably went after Toneri and Hanabi alone!"

'Hanabi, please don't do end up doing anything that you can't get out of.'

-X-

"Why did you run… you can't just pretend all those accusations against you were lies?!" Hanabi jeered out lowly, standing opposite of Toneri. He hadn't said a word since dawn had come and gone; face engrossed towards the falling hazes obscuring the mountaintops.

She hadn't expected in a burst of stubborn rage to have followed after him or even that she would again ignore her sister's cautions to go after him into the night when he tried to escape from the club. Toneri had moved silently towards these grottos as if he had been to the area before; never once acknowledging her presence during their path up here or the leaked info.

It was dangerous, it was stupid, but she had to have some answer…

"Nobody told you to follow after me, in fact; didn't you think of the risk in doing just that?" Toneri questioned, turning to face her for the first time and any snide remark she wanted to make back fell apart at his expression.

Gone was the familiar warmth or comforting smile she was used to, replaced with a coldness and sharpness that made her slink back against the cave's walls unconsciously.

She forced her gaze downward under his belittling stare; her heartbeat incessantly louder from the silence surrounding them. Their gap in age never seemed so wider.

"You ask if all of those papers are lies and they're not. The past eventually catches up with us and buried skeletons get dug up." Toneri mentioned coolly.

Hanabi's stomach flipped as she peered back up at him, anger reignited by how nonchalant his response was. "So you've been trying to make my sister's life and her boyfriend's a living hell for no reason?! She warned me about you and I defended you; don't you have any regrets or care at all-"

Hanabi winced, words cracking as her vision grew blurry as her body was thrown into a panic, frantically flailing her arms and legs to kick or slash at Toneri to no avail.

Toneri was choking her, demeanor unchanged as pale white fingers clasped onto her neck even tighter.

"My regrets are that none of this in the end made your sister want to leave Naruto. Making threats of exposing her sleazy behavior wasn't even enough since she doesn't seem to care what her family thinks. And you…having to put up with pretending to love you and adore you was the only way to get into the inner circle of the Hyugas…" Toneri bemused, abruptly dropping her to the ground with a thud.

Hanabi gasped, rubbing at the throbbing soreness of her neck as she panted for air. 'This whole time I've been just a pawn to him...'

She tightly bit at her lip; drawing on the metallic taste of blood to distract her from tears she could feel beginning to glisten at her eyes.

Her childish ideation of their time as a couple was quickly becoming a sour memory, but she couldn't dwell on the painful thoughts for much longer as she began to focus again when he took a step closer.

'I'm not going down without a fight.' Hanabi told herself, tightening her fists for another possible attack.

"Now that you know the absolute truth Hanabi, you need to get heading back." Naruto's voice interrupted, causing the two to look back towards the cave's entrance.

Hanabi brushed over Naruto's appearance in shock, mud clinging to his jeans and blades of grass sticking out amongst his blonde hair. 'Did he follow us here…but how did he know we were here?'

"I'm surprised you of all people were the first to manage to track us through these forests; you didn't even bring Hinata in tow either." Toneri considered, silver eyes darkening when Naruto's demeanor remained unfazed.

Naruto cracked his knuckles, harsh laugh echoing against the walls. "Hinata doesn't need to know about this. I'm going to take care of you on my own."

A/N: While school life is busy I'm glad that I can still at least update this! I'm going for the first Saturday of every month or the second. On another note, whoopee for getting 60+ favorites and 100+ follows! I appreciate and love all of you for taking time out to read and provide feedback; thank you! ~ :D


	7. Searching For You

Chapter 7: Searching for You

The drops of blood slipping down past his knuckles never felt so satisfying.

Naruto straightened his fists out, ignoring the mild throbbing and cracking that came with clenching them. After all, the look upon Toneri's face had made it all worth it.

He had finally casted fear into his eyes. There was no way he could cover up the look with smugness or fake smiles as he had done so many times in the past, not when he caught the brief fidgeting of his hands at trying to block each of his blows.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Naruto questioned, watching a trickle of Toneri's blood slide down from his lips onto the cavern's floor.

Toneri opened his mouth to retort, an insult practically burning at his tongue and ready to roll off until he looked again at the glare Naruto was sending him and faltered. His fist was already rising in preparation to strike again, cerulean eyes dark and taunting him to speak up.

'I dare you to…say another comment about me or my relationship with Hinata. Question why none of the options you have tried to use to break us up have worked.' Naruto challenged him silently, jabbing his fist into his stomach before he could utter a thing.

Toneri let out a loud wheeze, garbled gasps for breath echoing into the walls. His stomach tightened from the impact and he quickly suppressed the urge to vomit and spit out the blood coming to his mouth as a painful thought occurred to him.

He was going to lose this fight.

Toneri straightened himself up to stand, gritting his teeth at his body's refusal to keep him steady. He was already beginning to feel dizzy and numb from how long it had seemed the fight had been going on, only the faint sound of footsteps approaching made him try to stay awake.

Naruto stopped his approach to listen in as well; the footsteps were getting louder; beating like a drum against the thick grass of the forest. It was then that they both recognized who was getting closer: Hiashi and his men.

Toneri chuckled in spite of all that had just happened, leaning back into the dampness of the cave's walls to relax. "Once he sees us, who do you think he'll believe; me or you?"

Naruto only snorted at the remark, eyes shifting back towards the entrance with a scowl. His mind slowly just beginning to swirl with where his misdeeds would take him this time. It wasn't like this was going to be the first time Hiashi insulted him or would find a way to get underneath his skin.

'You're not going to go after Toneri alone, are you?' Hinata's voice echoed to in the back of his mind from last night, lilac eyes watching, shimmering over with a worry he had seen so many times before.

That he would again start up his ugly habit of lying to her again when he felt it was necessary.

Naruto stiffened; the thrill of the fight quickly fading and all at once his senses overwhelmed with the odor of the blood he couldn't mask, anxiety that made him sweat, and the musky scent of the mud and shrubs he had gone through all for the sake of revenge.

'I was doing this for Hinata and Hanabi though, so I have no reason to feel guilty, right?' Naruto questioned himself, frowning when even that semblance of an answer didn't sway his mind over still taking vengeance where he felt it was deserved.

The news would eventually get back to Hinata and how would she react then? Loathe him that he used violence? End this affair they were having for good?

'I thought you weren't feeling guilty?' A bitter part of his thoughts reminded him, but he couldn't dwell on the thoughts for very long when the flicker of a flashlight shined past his eyes followed by an array of shouts of his name along quicker stomping.

Nothing about Hiashi's approach or style he gave off had changed as Naruto figured. Of course he had set his sight on him first out of the two, white eyes trying to silently pierce and coerce him into talking. The rest of his aides were already creating a barrier around the entrance; he definitely had no choice in hearing what he had to say now.

"Let me in, I have to speak to father!" Hanabi cried out, trying to push past the blockade of Hiashi's men. She had been the one to guide them in the right direction in the first place so why were the pushing her away now?!

Neji paused in tending to Toneri's wounds to stop Hanabi's actions, slowly pushing her hand back out of the cave. "You should be at the villa resting and getting cleaned up."

Hanabi simply scoffed, pushing away the hand he tried to reach out to her. "Why are you even tending to his injuries…after all that I told you what he's done; are you going to just pretend it was nothing?!"

She absolutely hated how cracked and tired her voice sounded in trying to be defiant and rebellious once more, how much of an effect Toneri appeared to still have over her family.

"Stop trying to push yourself or act mature. Look and think about what having an attitude like that can get you into." Neji spat back coldly.

Hanabi opted to cover the hurt at his words by biting her tongue; how had Hinata made it look so easy before? A part of her achingly wondering if it was only because she had grown accustomed to the verbal abuse and the constant struggle she had for father to see things from her point of view in matters that went beyond academics.

They both knew his response though was going beyond her recent foolish behavior; he was subtly jabbing at Hinata as well for apparently picking Naruto over family; over order.

She said nothing more as she watched Neji return back to Toneri. His eyes had opened briefly to catch her own and she shivered at the ghostly smile that graced his lips so slightly as if he had committed to one last objective before all of this had even happened. 'No, don't tell me; he didn't…!'

He silently mouth the answer to her query, that he had shared with everyone in room all of Hinata's dirty secrets including the exclusive photos; meaning Neji and Hiashi truly knew. Tears sprung to her eyes that this time she didn't push away; Hinata's once most private moments would soon become the perfect gossip for the elders of the family to whisper over.

And she had unknowingly been a part of it all; the catalyst that could lead Hiashi and Neji eventually to Club 81's doors.

Hanabi quickly shook the the thoughts away, forcing herself to focus back on Hiashi and Naruto. Hiashi had already leaned down to whisper something close by his ear and all of a sudden, it seemed like the color escaped Naruto's face; eyes growing wide and fists beginning to tremble.

His reaction was too anticlimactic and bizarre; no witty remarks or silly grins. All Naruto did was nod in response before Hiashi allowed his assistants to let him leave without anymore trouble.

"What did you say to him?" Hanabi questioned quickly, her father's face remained unreadable and dread started creeping back into her with how long he was taking to respond.

Soon enough, Hiashi shook his head and sent her a small smile. "Nothing for you to worry about, everything has been settled…I have-"

She didn't hear the rest of what he said, tuning it out his mindless ramblings only meant to keep her from causing another disruptive scene.

Instead, her thoughts began to race at the sharp change in Naruto's abrupt devoid expression. Maybe this might had been Toneri's plan from the get go, possibly knowing from the get go it would mean his own secrets would be revealed in the process.

Hiashi on the other hand was a man of power with it came silently boded his time; waiting for the moment when his opponent would slip and he would strike.

And in this case, it was the opportunity for him to truly separate Hinata and Naruto.

She let out a shaky breath, reluctantly following Naruto's silent retreat from the cave in a daze. The air surrounding the cave had grown warmer with the afternoon heat approaching, but she felt just as cold as if she were still pinned against the dampness of the cave's walls. Hanabi hugged herself tightly at the chill that came over her, sinking her head to gaze down along the forest trail shamefully. She had let slip another chance to defend Hinata and Naruto, been too weak to protect herself and Hinata's privacy, and trapped on the same repetitive thought that made her dizzy with worry.

'Naruto, why didn't you fight back father?'

-X-

"Say something to cheer him up!" Sakura hissed out, nudging Sasuke's arm once more. Her voice was too loud to even be considered a whisper, her gaze flickering back and forth between the two men beside her.

They had been lucky enough to somehow drag Naruto out of his apartment to Ichiraku's, especially considering not even Hinata had been able to commit to such a feat. Nobody had heard from him over the past few days since the Hyuga family's return from their mountain vacation and dammit she was going to get some answers before today was over!

Sasuke scowled, gently pushing her fingers away. His expression remained indifferent as he took in Naruto's appearance; blonde hair still disheveled and in unkempt from when they had awoken minutes earlier. He casually slurped at his noodles, paying no mind to his staring or towards the broth and stray pieces of meat that were falling onto his shirt and jacket.

He had never questioned him nor wanted to know about whatever went on in his relationship with Hinata and he wasn't about to ask now; no matter how strange the circumstances got.

Sakura pouted at his action before smirking. Of course if it was up to Sasuke they would all probably just sit here all day waiting for Naruto to speak up over why he was acting so eerily quiet and odd.

'Fine, I guess I'll have to be the one who gets things started.' Sakura considered, pulling out her phone and scrolling through it with feigned interest.

"Ah, I'm getting a call from Ino; I'll be right back!" Sakura suddenly chirped out in dramatic fashion, hopping out of her squeaky chair and heading off into the crowds with a small wave behind her.

Naruto turned slightly to watch go, arching a eyebrow curiously. "You know...she could've at least pretended to make her phone ring."

Sasuke merely shrugged at her antics, but couldn't help but smile a bit at her ridiculous attempt to get one of them to talk. At least with Naruto finally speaking up it meant that he wasn't going to have to be the one to try and initiate the conversation.

"So, how do you feel?" Sasuke started, swirling at his own bowl slowly. It was barely into the afternoon hours, but already it felt too hot to continue eating the rest of his ramen, the steam resonating from the brew making him uncomfortably sweaty.

"Like shit." Naruto grumbled, sighing as he saw the stains upon his clothes from splashing the broth around. 'Great, I'm going to have to do another load of laundry when I get home.'

"What exactly happened while you were up there at that resort? The last time we saw you in person you claimed you were out for revenge all high and mighty." Sasuke asked, moving straight to the point.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, leaning his head against his palm. "Who said I didn't get what I wanted and more?" 'It's one of the reasons I'm in this situation in the first place.'

"From rumors I've heard, Toneri has skipped town or at least has been lying low. Apparently even with the controversy surrounding Hinata and I, it's bad for the Hyuga's businesses knowing all he's been involved in and have to cut ties with him." Naruto continued on. It was probably the only positive thing he had gotten out of following Hinata on her trip.

Sasuke shifted in his chair, treading his next words carefully. "That doesn't explain why you've been so mopey or avoiding Hinata."

When Naruto said nothing, Sasuke grunted under his breathe. " If you're still keeping something from her; this means it doesn't involve Toneri anymore; right? Her family has never really stopped you from sneaking around to see her so why all of a sudden are you trying to stay hidden?"

Naruto scratched a hand through his hair, chuckling lightly. "Wow Sasuke, I think that's the most words I've heard you say in probably the past year!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his change of the topic, he had to have guessed correctly going by that reaction, but it left him without answers. He traced Naruto's gaze towards the clouds passing overhead, his stare appearing to stretch out far out beyond the sky towards something maybe only he could see.

"I can't get close to her right now, Hiashi, Neji, and whoever else they have working for them are making my life hell right now to try and dig up on answers on what we've been sneaky about. So, Hinata shouldn't get involved in any of that embarrassing stuff or problems. They already know we've been hooking up again and it...it would screw up all she's worked so hard for if I told her what they may do." Naruto mused so quietly Sasuke wondered for a moment if he was still talking to him or more to himself now.

Sasuke sat up straighter in his seat, it wasn't a full answer to his question;but it was all he was probably going to get for now.

"I assume this doesn't change the fact you'll still be using Club 81's services again to meet up?" Sasuke mused.

Naruto let out full blown laugh at that, beginning to smile his first real grin since they had met up. "Of course not, that remains our private secret no matter how much they try to interrogate me or search my favorite spots for clues!" Sasuke quirked a brow at his strained smile, but shrugged it off; he wasn't about to pressure him anymore.

He was guarding and wording his speech pattern differently and Sasuke subtly looked around to look for suspicious passerby's; anyone nearby now could easily be working for the Hyuga's.

Sakura meanwhile smiled at the pair from afar, surprised at how quick Naruto was returning back to his normal behavior. She couldn't make out their conversation from her position, but she knew Naruto had said something juvenile telling by Sasuke's flat expression while Teuchi laughed along with him.

'I knew if one person could break him out of his funk it would be Sasuke. Now hopefully he can give me some answers that I can pass along to Hinata.' Sakura thought, grinning growing wider when met Sasuke's frown for her to hurry up and join them back already.

-X-

"You're call has been forwarded to an automated message. Please leave a message at the-" Hinata sighed, clicking the call off before she could hear the repeated message once more.

'Why won't you respond Naruto? What could father have done to make you abruptly be this distant?' Hinata pondered, running through hundreds of scenarios in her head based on what Hanabi and Sakura had told her.

It seemed like all of them always led back to the dirty photos Toneri had taken of her and Naruto weeks before.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the images before they could make her queasy and ashamed. Without warning, her phone began to buzz again next to her and she hurriedly opened her eyes in surprise to reach for it.

It was only Hanabi.

"O-Oh Hi Hanabi, any new things come up?" Hinata asked, chiding herself for how jittery her voice sounded. Maybe Naruto was having too much of an effect on her if she felt this on edge from assuming he was finally calling her back.

She could hear Hanabi's snicker from the other end of the line and she pouted, already knowing where the conversation was going to head. "What, did you think I was Naruto, hmm? I told you he's not mad at you or anything; father has him under some type of restriction or has been pressuring to spill the beans on your affair that I've been trying my best to find out."

"Naruto has never let restrictions stop him though, and you're sure Toneri has nothing to do with this?" Hinata pressed further.

"I'm sure." Hanabi stated curtly and Hinata fidgeted for a moment at the acidity of her tone. A week had passed now since they're return back to the rush of the city. To go this long now without any complete answers made her realize she had exhausted all she could out of her sister and her friends.

But that didn't mean she would give up because of that.

"If you really want to find him just try your little hangout spot, but I would be careful. Ever since Toneri let loose those photos father and Neji have been closely inspecting and watching the red light districts." Hanabi pointed out, referring to Club 81.

Hinata flustered, glad her sister couldn't see her reddening cheeks. She had never ventured alone into the club without Naruto or one of her friends by her side; they distracted her from all lewdness and perverseness that gave the club it's underlying reputation in the first place. Knowing now her father and Neji would have their assistants keeping tabs on the club and nearby areas furthered her anxiety at how long she could keep her rendezvous spot buried.

"I-I don't know if that's such a good idea, it wouldn't feel right to go there without being sure Naruto was there as well." Hinata mumbled. Especially not with the leers men often gave her no matter how much she tried to cover up.

Hanabi didn't seem to share her sentiment, teasingly mocking at her nervousness. "Oh, what's the big deal Hinata? You've gone there plenty of times before; the nudity shouldn't even be an issue at this point!"

Hinata squirmed at her usual bluntness, clutching at her bed sheets. "Yes, but you know I wasn't there for the dancing and shows...it was for the...the..."

"Yeah the incredible mind-blowing sex and thrill of having a secretive romance with Naruto or whatever. Geez, no need to be shy about saying the truth!" Hanabi finished for her, laughing at her stammering until her voice returned back to seriousness.

"I know going there alone may not seem like a good or even fun idea, but I'm sure the one person who knows where you can corner Naruto to get some answers will be there." Hanabi explained, making Hinata's head perk up in interest.

Between her and Naruto's shared friends, she had little idea of who Hanabi was alluding to until it occurred to her: Jiraiya.

Hanabi laughed at the loud sigh Hinata gave into the receiver. "Are you sure there isn't anyone else I could ask?"

"Nope! We both know he's your best bet; the sooner you find him, the sooner you can get back to your wonderful lovemaking sessions. Don't overdo it though; I don't want to be an aunt just yet." Hanabi purred out tauntingly.

Hinata let out a stream of protests at her innuendos, unable to even properly word them together before Hanabi hung up again on her with a snicker.

-X-

'I knew this was a bad idea.' Hinata repeated to herself, bumping too close again to another person. It was another theme night at Club 81, apparently a men and women's fashion show/ showcase your body was set to be held and she knew like all past similar events, it would rapidly take a turn for the raunchy.

The center stage was decked out for the performance to begin and she couldn't help but admire at least the club's efforts put in to attempting to make it a lavish affair. Gold curtains hid the contestants from the members and the catwalk glittered with the club's logo in the stream of flashing lights. The sex symbols for men and women aligned the judge's tables on both sides of the stage as people began to huddle near the front of the stage to get the best views, sneak peeks, and possible touches.

Hinata had been too caught up in staring until she felt the brush of a hand too close to her breast and she eeped, inadvertently decking the stranger hard with her elbow into his stomach.

The man in question wheezed, sending her a glare as he started to topple to the ground as he slurred out a mix of curses and grunts. "What the hell is your problem girl?! Don't expect to come to a club like this and not get some attention with the clothes and body you got!"

Hinata immediately grew numb, feeling her face flare up at the stares and whispers she got from his loud reaction. She wasn't even trying to dress sexy or appeal to anyone, having gone with a simple sleeveless blue cocktail gown. It was definitely far cry from the birthday dress she had worn weeks before; way too tight and showy.

'Ugh, how am I supposed to find Jiraiya in this sea of people? I don't even know if he's here! Maybe I should go home and try again another time.' Hinata thought, moving to get as far away from the man and the noise as the curtains pulled open.

"Woo-hoo, I can't wait to see what you ladies have in store for us tonight!" A familiar voice crooned out and Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat as she willed herself to turn back around.

Sure enough, she could faintly make out Jiraiya's spiky white hair amongst the crowd, loudly cheering by the men's side of the booth. Not only did he appear to be a judge with his 'official' blue ribbon pinned to his shirt, but this meant it would be near impossible to get close to him without getting close to the action of the show as well.

Hinata slowly took in a breathe, straightening out her shaky legs. "If I can find out where Naruto is or what he's been keeping from me, this will be worth it."

She was going to have to keep repeating that mantra if she was going to make it through the rest of tonight.

The first thing she noticed the closer she got to Jiraiya was the growing scent of alcohol and sweat; not enough to make her nauseous, but enough that she began to feel mildly lightheaded. Glancing around, she realized nearly everyone in the audience had a drink in their hands or a cigarette.

'How does he put up with all of this booze and smoke constantly?' Hinata asked herself, though she quickly found her answer. It was his connections that had allowed it and made it possible for him to get giddily getting caught up in taking pictures with most of the female fans before the show started. She shuddered at the attention he was oddly getting, even his not so subtle groping wasn't getting him slapped or pushed away like it would at probably any other club.

Unsurprisingly, Jiraiya swiftly noticed her before she could say a word. "Oh, Hinata what are you doing lingering around here away from Naruto? I would think he'd be acting as your personal bodyguard with all the men around here tonight."

Even though it had been hard to make out Jiraiya amid the noise, her heart thumped in realization at his inquiring.

Naruto was here as well.

"Where's Naruto at? I've been trying to find him." Hinata asked quickly, scowling faintly when Jiraiya only rubbed his chin in amusement.

"Heh, that tone and face you're making must mean some trouble in paradise, huh? Hmm, I suppose lust and all those other desires can't win you two over all the time, no matter how good it gets in the bedroom. Am I right?!" Jiraiya considered, grin widening at her silence.

He talked about their sex life as if they were just discussing the weather or something mundane.

"A-Anyways, can you tell me where he is already please?" Hinata huffed, ignoring how hot her cheeks were getting.

Jiraiya shook his head, childishly waving a finger in front of his face. "No can do! That boy has been mopey hasn't given me any explanation these past few days and almost brought my mood down with him! If he's done something to annoy you, then have some fun by messing around with him to get even."

Hinata scrunched up her nose, gently pushing his finger away. The pungent smells combined with the blast of the DJ's music close by was becoming a tad too overwhelming now.

Jiraiya's perfectly composed smile wasn't helping matters either.

"You're not going to tell me where he is, are you?" Hinata eventually asked, relieved when the noise surrounding them slowly began to lessen. In the distance, she could slightly make out the head announcer calling for showtime in 10 minutes.

Jiraiya simply chucked lowly, sweeping over her figure with a smirk. "Hmm, well I think you have the bust and hips for it..."

Hinata casted him with a dirty look, causing him to quickly hold up his hands in defense from a possible slap or punch. "Whoa now, don't be so quick to anger! I was only going to ask if you wanted to be a part of the fashion show as well!"

The look she had gave him must have shown too much curiosity because he decided to elaborate further.

"Seems like one of the girls who was set to perform called in sick last minute, want to take her place as the 'angel'?" Jiraiya mused.

Hinata immediately shook her head, taking a far step back from him. "O-Of course not! I never liked seeing any of these gentleman shows or contests anyways!"

Jiraiya huffed, pretending to appear hurt at her words. "Funny though, you don't seem to have any problems using the rooms upstairs with Naruto though...this should be your way of paying me back for enjoying those nights!"

"That's different and you know it! We only come here because my family doesn't know about this place. " At least she hoped they still didn't based on all that had been going on.

Jiraiya remained unfazed, by now nearby club goers on the dance floor and by the bars had headed over to take seats by the stage. He carefully glanced behind Hinata and noticed Naruto's distinct blonde hair on the other side of the club, back faced away from the growing commotion soon about to pick up again.

'Damn it, I am not letting the one chance to get Hinata of all people to join this show. That brat better turn around and see all this effort I'm putting in to get them to at least to see each other before tonight ends!' Jiraiya thought, glancing back towards her and putting on his most charming smile.

Hinata continued to dissuaded, but blushed and faltered at his next lines. "I bet if you put on sexy show, Naruto is bound to come by here. I lost him as soon as we entered, but he'll surely be interested if it's you up there." He lied.

"N-Naruto and I don't need to do things like that openly to get each other's attention...besides you're asking too much of me right on the spot." Hinata murmured, she would not cave in to Jiraiya. Sakura and Ino were one thing, but not Naruto's old mentor.

Jiraiya abruptly reached out to shake her shoulders. "Don't worry about the minor stuff like that! Think of it this way, you can taunt Naruto a bit for how he's been acting and this can lead to new stuff for the bedroom such as cos-play, BDSM, role-play..."

Hinata coughed to interrupt him. not wanting to hear anymore about his endless sexual ideas. "You could find any other willing girl in this crowd to do this and yet, you keep trying to get me."

"Well besides the answers I've already given you, don't you use this club as an escape and measure to break out of your comfort zone and social pressures involved with being with Naruto? Every argument you two may have now and in the future doesn't necessarily have to always be solved with words, actions do go a long way after all, but I'm sure you already knew that, right?"

Hinata bit her lip, internally sighing as she let him drag her towards backstage to get ready.

How was he so annoyingly spot on about their relationship?

-X-

"Leave me alone old man, I'm not going to go watch your stupid sex show just because you're judging it!" Naruto griped, focusing his attention back on the television's recap of the latest sport events.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, shoving away his nearby glass so hard it nearly teetered off the edge of the bar. "And I keep telling you tonight's show is going to be different! Besides, it's not like you're really focusing on the TV and trying to drown you sorrows doesn't appear to be working, let loose your perverted side a bit tonight like I've taught you!"

Naruto simply snorted at his jab towards his drinking and lechery, taking a glance down into his dark amber glass of vodka. One gulp had been enough to burn at his throat and he nearly choke to the point he almost called the bartender back for water.

"You know Hinata's dad and cousin have been putting me through hell, let me have this day where they can't bother me or know exactly where I'm at." He countered, swirling at the dissolving ice in his glass. He felt like disappearing as well, he had already scoped the area and knew they're wasn't anybody around who would go running off to tell another secret of his.

Jiraiya heavily slammed at his back, making Naruto jump and let out a curse. "Idiot, just get over to the main stage before midnight when the show ends, okay?"

Naruto brushed him off, watching him practically run to go take his place back at the judge's table. He lazily turned his head to peer at the center clock's time. The colorful stream of lights that had once been streaming across the dance floor were no longer in sight and he squinted his eyes to adjust to the darkness and see it was around 10:05 currently.

'Damn, how long have I just been sitting here?!' Naruto thought, stepping away from his chair to stretch his arms and legs out. It wouldn't have looked good if Hinata had saw him like this.

Hinata...

She hadn't tried calling or texting today and a gnawing feeling was brewing up in him that maybe another guy had caught her attention.

'No, Hinata wouldn't do something like that.' Naruto considered, scowling at where his thoughts had taken him.

"Ladies and Gentleman, we apologize for the wait, but we've found our replacement for the ladies side! So sit back and enjoy the show!" Jiraiya's voice rang out, calming the commotion from the crowd.

Naruto rolled his eyes, sinking back further into his seat; out of the corner his eye he could see men and woman dressed in their most provocative attire striding across the stage . Why had he even bothered coming here without Hinata; just trying to not think about her in the one place they were always supposed to meet at seemed pointless the more he dwelled on it.

"And for tonight only, we have our special guest the 'Angel' don't be shy and strut your stuff!" Jiraiya exclaimed proudly, aware that Hinata was trying to remain hidden behind the gold curtains.

'That's an unusual nickname to give just one of the random entertainers.' Naruto considered, turning for a moment to fully actually see the show.

The shock nearly made him fall out of his chair.

Hinata was discreetly trying to stay out of the crowd's stares and the flash of their phones by staying halfway behind the curtains, covering the blue-green sequins adorning her two piece bikini themed outfit. Unfortunately though, the light blue halo and wings attached to her wardrobe was only making her stick out more than she wanted.

'He never said I was going to actually have to walk out on stage!' Hinata thought frantically, gripping at the curtains tighter. It was hard to keep her thoughts together with the audience's yelling of urging her to come out. Even her fellow competitors already out on the stage were waving for her to come out already, but then in the midst of it all cobalt eyes caught hers and a new wave of nausea came over her.

She subconsciously hid herself further into the darkness of backstage to avoid the mix of confusion and surprise upon his face. Naruto's gaze stayed fixed in her direction, only briefly breaking his stare to run over to Jiraiya to chatter and berate him who scoffed before beginning to randomly point as if giving him directions.

Hinata studied his pattern of where his hands were going, eyes widening as she scuffled the curtains closed rapidly and stepped back.

He was pointing him in the direction of backstage and the show wasn't even over yet!

She squirmed at hearing his footsteps approach minutes later, his uncomfortable cough making her finally turn to look at him. Hinata relaxed a little at his embarrassed expression, clearly trying to keep his focus away from her breasts and nether regions.

"Hey...you found me and to think I've been the one trying to find you all night." Hinata greeted softly, trying to say something that wouldn't so awkward after having not spoken in awhile.

It would've been much better if she wasn't half naked at the moment.

"Heh, yeah I did, why is it you somehow always get talked into dressing seductively? I could understand Sakura and Ino talking you into it, but not that old pervert." Naruto asked, brushing a hand through his hair to try and relieve at the tension between them.

Hinata fiddled with the loose strands on her outfit, distractedly tugging at the wings that were starting to make her back itch. "I-I wanted to your attention somehow...granted I know this wasn't the best way to go about doing it, but when Jiraiya told me you were here too..."

"No, no I understand. I'm sorry I've been an ass and keeping things from you lately by ignoring your calls and lying. It's just all this crap your dad's been putting me through I didn't want-" Naruto was quickly cut himself off at the sharp look Hinata sending him.

"Wait, what exact crap do you mean he's putting you through? What he is trying to do now to sabotage our relationship?!" Hinata reiterated, bitterness lacing her tone as she balled up her fists. 'They've been keeping quiet from Hanabi because they knew she would tell me. I'm sure Neji and probably his assistants are in on this as well, why are they going through all this effort?'

Naruto chuckled weakly, patting her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. It was unusual to see Hinata so infuriated, but a part of him was secretly happy she wasn't attempting to take her anger over everything that had been happening out on him.

Hinata huffed, casually moving out of his grip. "You're not off the hook yet Naruto; I'm still mad that you've been keeping all this from me. T-This show was originally also meant to tease you into getting to look, but not touch. I guess Jiraiya's part of coming up with that plan worked out a bit, right?"

Naruto blinked at her suggestion and abrupt stutter, reddening at her peek towards his pants; seeing he was aroused. "Well, it's hard to not get excited around you, especially when you're wearing that!" Naruto emphasized, smirking at her own flustering face. She squirmed when took a step closer again, nearly fumbling back into the wall until Naruto caught her.

"Stop keeping secrets like this from me." Hinata murmured against his approaching lips, moaning lightly when his hands descended underneath her sequin bra.

"I know; I know..." Naruto grunted back, molding their lips together slowly. She reacted back quickly to his slight surprise; fingers reaching to grasp at his shirt, longing to be near him and forget briefly how frustrated she felt over her family.

Naruto was the first to break away, hissing when she agonizingly guided fingers against his clothed erection. He studied her expression carefully as he moved back, searching for the same lust that came whenever their touches became heated; that passion he craved more than he wanted to admit having been away from her for what seemed like so long.

'You can't keep ignoring the reality of your situation, sex can only make you temporarily forget for so long...' His thoughts interrupted before he promptly tuned it out.

"Where can we go?" He whispered fervidly against her neck, shifting to grind their hips together.

"Changing rooms." Hinata bit out, gasping when he abruptly lifted her up to carry her to the area. In a blur he had her pushed up against the closed door, unclasping at her bra in a frenzy. Her vision grew blurry as his lips descending along her stomach and upwards, panting out his name when he finally moved to nibble at her breasts. Hinata continued to messily fumble with his belt until he gently pushed her hands away, unbuckling and unzipping his pants and pushing down his boxers just enough for his erection to be free.

"Wrap your legs around me; we need to be quick and quiet about this." Naruto whispered out, his voice taking a deeper edge at how close they were to intimacy. She nodded her head faintly at his command, following his lead in moving her hips upward as he guided the tip of his member in-

"BANG!"

They both froze at the noise, simultaneously turning towards the door as the loud knock resonated though the air.

"Hey, I'm glad to hear you decided to take my advice Hinata even though you got the crowd excited for nothing! Whenever you two are done taking care of business; I'll be the bar!" Jiraiya's voice cheered out, footsteps fading just as quickly as they had came.

Hinata waited until she was sure nobody else was truly close before she slowly slid off of Naruto, too embarrassed to look at him directly again as she moved to grab her tossed away bra. Meanwhile, Naruto was grumbling curses under his breath as he adjusted his own clothes. 'That bastard interrupted us again...'

"Anyways, let's get out of here and talk somewhere more quietly. We don't need Jiraiya or any other perverts listening in on us or trying to make trouble for us." Naruto eventually spoke up, reaching out to grab her hand and force her too look at him. 'And there's no way in hell I want to hear or see any other guys trying to masturbate or get lucky with her.'

Hinata nervously broke his hold on her again, gesturing towards her clothes hung up in the closet. "At least let me change back into my regular clothes; I don't want to walk around in this anymore."

"Oh, of course!" Naruto stated, turning around to give her some privacy.

He felt tempted to peek over his shoulder and question if she needed help putting on her clothes, partly wanting to finish what they started before their conversation inevitably became serious and romance was the last thing they would be thinking about.

'I'm not going to push my luck; I'm fortunate and content just knowing she hasn't left my side...yet.' Naruto thought, gritting his teeth at the fear that was creeping up on him over telling her what her family was threatening to do. Of the haunting words her father had said to him days before.

"Everything you and Hinata have been working so hard for in school I can make you lose in mere seconds..."

A/N: Hello, I decided to post a bit earlier than normal; I honestly can't think of a time when Hinata was ever seriously mad at Naruto so writing that part was amusing and a bit difficult unless somebody knows lol. I also don't think I can say it enough times, but thank you so much for reading and all the feedback! :D


	8. Deception

Chapter 8: Deception

Goosebumps pricked her skin as she tried to control the unsteady swaying of her legs.

'I need to relax; this isn't the first time I've dressed or even undressed in front of Naruto!' She berated herself, shakily trying to finish buttoning up her top.

But even ignoring that minuscule fact, she could still feel her anxiety building; coiling and stinging at her stomach tightly enough that the pain had begun to dully resonate throughout her body.

Surely what Naruto had to tell her involving her family couldn't be that bad she hoped?

"Um, Hinata are you almost done? Not that I'm trying to rush you or anything!" Naruto questioned, startling her.

Hinata's cheeks grew heated, momentarily forgetting about her thoughts as she peeked over her shoulder. Naruto was indeed making a poor attempt to not stare at her, face for the moment staring towards the door. When she didn't immediately answer him though, he turned back in her direction before freezing up when their eyes caught and quickly facing forward once more.

"Sorry, a lot just rushed through my mind is all." Hinata stammered out quickly, adjusting her top and smoothing out her skirt as best she could. She flustered at how crumpled her clothes still appeared, forgotten sweat stickily clinging to her along with creases scattered all throughout the top and bottom no matter how much she tried to fix it.

Anyone who saw them walking around now would definitely know what they had been up to.

"Are you ready to go?" Naruto questioned, watching as Hinata approached him with a nod. He smiled warily as he reached for her hand again, relaxing when she met his grip halfway.

The club had grown dark by the time they had stepped out of the changing rooms; the lights from the fashion show all off with the crowd having dispersed to elsewhere. In the distance, the faint sound of high paced beats and tempos were beginning to pick up again as another event appeared to be starting.

Hinata sighed, gripping Naruto's hand a bit tighter with darkness enveloping them on all sides. They pushed past the velvet curtains around the stage and glanced around, empty beer bottles, cups, and outfits were scattered about as a few custodians picked up or swept up the mess. 'Thank goodness the show at least ended while we were gone.'

"Naruto, where exactly in this club is it safe for us to talk; is anywhere really good?" Hinata spoke up, getting his attention off looking around.

Naruto began to chuckle weakly making Hinata arch an eyebrow. "Yeah about that…I think we may need to ask Jiraiya for a favor again."

Jiraiya on the other hand looked much too pleased to see them so soon again when they eventually found him again by the bar, casually sipping at what appeared to be some high end champagne.

"Oi, it's about time you two came around here! I don't think I've mentioned it enough to you two, but isn't this club great; you finally have the time to put all the lessons I gave you to good work on Hinata, huh Naruto?" Jiraiya mused, smirking at Hinata's perplexed look.

"You look confused Hinata; you didn't know that Naruto has used my old romance novels and tactics to-"Jiraiya paused in finishing at the glare Naruto sent him over her shoulder, silently telling him to shut up.

Jiraiya coughed, swirling at his drink before speaking up again. "Well anyways... that's not important right now! The main thing is have you two cleared up whatever issues were going through, right?"

Hinata shook her head; shivering at the stares and whispers a few people sent their way at the commotion they were causing. Even if the show was over, why did she feel like she was still under the center of attention?

"U-Um, do you know any quieter places in the club we could go to?" Hinata asked softly, avoiding the abrupt perverted grin that came onto his face at the mention of another secretive location.

"You two didn't get enough in earlier?! Well unfortunately, all the rooms upstairs are booked for tonight from the last time I checked, but you can certainly try by the lounge/patio areas right next to the gardens in the back. Nobody is usually over there unless we're having an outdoor showing. If you want to do a round two so badly then I would suggest there." Jiraiya explained.

Hinata glanced back over to Naruto who only shrugged. Jiraiya would be the only person who knew the ins and outs of the club better than anyone else around here and exactly where most people went for their make-out sessions.

"So...in return for letting you guys in on that tidbit, I think I should be able to come along too for-" Naruto didn't bother to wait for him to continue his remark, muttering his thanks while tugging on Hinata's hand once more to follow after him.

He tuned out his and the nearby wolf whistling and comments to use some of the spare condoms lying around from the eavesdroppers as well.

'Wow, he was right for once; it actually is a bit quieter around here.' Naruto mused, guiding himself and Hinata to a couch by the window. Crickets chimed from by the bushes and he briefly was able to catch a glance of the moonlight reflecting on the pond and trees giving the area an ethereal glow.

"I...I think we're alone now, so will you please tell me now what is my family has been doing to you and indirectly me?" Hinata questioned, tugging on his arm gently.

Naruto breathed in slowly, Hiashi's words replaying again in the back of his mind. Everything they had worked so hard for...no he refused to continue to worry over it, not when Hinata was going to be regarding his next words so closely; he couldn't be hesitant in this.

Hinata's lavender eyes continue to watch him patiently for him to speak up and he frowned, shaking the urge to waver and fabricate a lie to give her a false sense of ease.

Time always seemed like it was going by too fast for him, not enough days in the summer, not enough time to think his future through, and definitely not enough time to spend with Hinata when things like this were happening. Nonetheless, he would be damned if he spent another semester of school pretending he didn't even know who Hinata was just because of her family's seemingly unbreakable dislike of him. He was sure her family's intentions had become critically serious and it meant planning his next moves carefully on how to fight them back without jeopardizing his and Hinata's own goals in the process.

"It's your scholarship and mine that we got from school, your father is trying to find a way to get them absolved from us…"

-X-

'I'll handle my father Naruto, there's no reason for you to try and get involved. This isn't actually the first time a situation similar to this has happened before.' Hinata had said that all so sincerely and casually, her voice sounding fresh and clear in his memory as if he were still having the conversation with her.

'Are you sure you want to face him alone? I want to help in some way…' He had protested, but Hinata only shook her head, pressing their foreheads together lightly.

'Naruto, don't you think if anyone knows what my father is capable of it would be me?' She challenged him in such a playful tone that he almost didn't catch the deeper warning she was giving him.

Please don't get tangled in my family affairs.

It had been weeks ago now since they had spoken in person about the issue and he knew with each passing day, he was getting closer and closer to breaking her promise not to investigate the matter further. And how could he not? It wasn't as if her family had let off on bugging him, discretely tracking his movements in and around the city to try and find which spots he might've used to meet up with Hinata along with his schedule.

With every phone call, text, or Face-time they had had he tried to bring focus back to how progress was going with her family, and each time Hinata either evaded the question or changed the topic.

"Naruto, are you still with us?" Kakashi suddenly inquired from above him, slamming a book down in front of him to jolt him from his daydreaming.

Naruto stirred quickly at the action, snapping his head to the front while snickers echoed around him. He resisted the urge to yawn as he remembered where he truly was: stuck in his morning Law Philosophy class.

"Honestly, you're always boasting about how you'll soon be a top political or business figure of Konoha and yet you can't even focus a full hour on the lecture." Kakashi mused.

Naruto scoffed, sitting up a bit straighter in his desk. "There's nothing wrong with me being a little sleepy considering we've just returned from break this week...and I think my improved grades so I'm perfectly capable of reaching my goals very soon!" The intricacies of politics and law that went on in and around the city were going to be much more interesting when he conducted them using his own terms.

Kakashi simply chuckled, at least he had gotten his attention as he finished up the lesson and gave out the week's main topics. 'He does act a lot more mature about his work and school compared to how he was last semester I'll admit.'

"Alright, before I end class for the day remember to read over chapters 1-5. You never know if I'll be in the mood to have a pop quiz on one of these days…" He trailed off, grinning at the resounding groans that came as students passed by his desk to pick up the worksheets and syllabus.

Naruto lazily gathered his belongings into his backpack, thoughts inevitably shifting back to concern for Hinata mixed with reminders of schoolwork and chores that would need to get done. They had used to meet up during the late evening hours once they had either ended a class or job and stay at the main library until the midnight closing hours. The guise of studying often became blurred with instances of fooling around, even if the library had been too open of a place. 'Now even walking by each other during daylight could be considered too risky.'

Tsunade absentmindedly brushed past him just as he left out the door and he paused for a second when he saw the flash of worry upon her face.

He turned back to watch where she was going; interest growing at the stacks of files in her hands and her straight beeline for Kakashi.

"Kakashi; is your class on break or is it over?" Tsunade asked in a rush, pushing away at the strands of blonde hair falling into her face.

"My class is over. Why, has something urgent come up?" He determined, telling by the way she gripped the files tighter it had to be something big.

Naruto thought the same, nonchalantly whistling while walking backwards into class and crouching down. He kept as far away from the pair as possible, all the while leaning his ear in to listen properly.

Tsunade lowered her voice, pulling out a paper from one of the files. "This won't be an easy case to handle; I never thought I would have to deal with any of the problems of the Hyuga household knowing how private they can be, and at the start of a new semester no less."

'Hyuga? This must involve Hinata in some way!' Naruto realized, breaking his cover by standing up loudly enough to knock his elbow against the board.

"Granny, if that case is about the Hyuga's then let me take it on or help you in some way!" Naruto declared, alarming the two with his disruption.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue. "Damn it, have you been eavesdropping on us?!"

"Well, obviously! Let me take on that case; all I need is the details!" Naruto retorted back, walking up to them. This would not only be an opportunity to gain knowledge on the details of what Hinata had been doing so far, but in a way maybe he could possibly covertly help her.

Tsunade huffed, moving the file out of arm's reach when he started to push his hand out. "You don't have enough experience to handle something like this and you've already broken a major rule of taking this case on anyways."

Naruto's annoyed expression morphed into one of confusion. "Huh, how could I have already broken the rule if I don't even know everything about it yet?!"

Tsunade said nothing, trying to properly gather her words together while shifting her gaze away. Her cheeks took on a reddish hue at Naruto's and even Kakashi's eventual semi interested look at her growing silence. "

You…You've been intimate with the client, that's why! You can't be involved!" She finally sputtered out angrily, partially happy that it made Naruto go speechless, cerulean eyes wide with his mouth going ajar. She used his abrupt shock as a form of escape, moving back out the door before he could get a word in; not that it wasn't going to be the last time she saw him today though.

'I've never needed a drink so badly then I do right now! Shizune better not have tried to lock away my sake again.' Tsunade considered, glancing down at her watch. It was only a little past 9 am and already she felt the beginnings of a migraine at how long the day was going to get.

Kakashi himself coughed awkwardly at her outburst, switching his attention immediately to turning off his laptop and gathering his own book bag to leave out. 'I'll stick to my Icha Icha Paradise books over knowing what my students do outside of class…'

"Hey, wait a second! The only person I've ever had sex with was Hinata so..." Naruto sputtered back, frowning when he noticed he was alone in the classroom now.

'Why did she say I can't be a part of this case just because of that one factor?' Naruto thought, scrambling his head now over the new information as he wandered the halls aimlessly to his next class.

It took him a few minutes more before it finally all clicked together.

"Ohhhh, now I'm definitely getting in on this case; whether she wants me to or not!"

-X-

Hinata scuffled at her shoes, quietly thanking one of Hiashi's attendants when they set a cup of green tea in front of her.

It wouldn't help much at easing her nerves or keeping her warm though.

She knew it was often chilly in her father's office, he often kept the air conditioner on full blast during the summer seasons, but it was getting cooler now. The leaves surrounding the compound had already begun to mix into a burst of fiery red and orange hues, but even so a few green leaves from the summer and spring remained scattered amongst the flurries.

It was those leaves that reminded her of Hiashi, fixed and rigid to the order and rules created from the beginning no matter how much the world changed around them.

"I-I assume you know why I came here, right?" Hinata asked, wanting to bite her tongue at her stutter. At the fear she got simply from being alone now in a room with him.

Hiashi nodded, hands clasped together calmly as he adjusted himself in the seat across from her. "It's not like you to visit the manor on a weekday; or on a school day no less."

"What exactly are you trying to do by taking my scholarship away or having your assistants snoop around my life and Naruto's?! You know I worked so hard for it by keeping my grades up, joining all those extracurricular activities that you wanted me to do, and yet..." She had went straight to the point in bombarding him with questions, but stopped her rambling at his unyielding expression. Were her words really not having any effect on him? His gaze remained on her, but it seemed like he wasn't even giving her his full attention.

"Hinata, while I'm pleased you've done all of that and more throughout high school and even college now, lately you've been changing...and not for the better. Taking away your scholarship should help really get your focus back on your studies and not men. As for my assistants, they're only making sure you're truly keeping to your daily schedules as you tell us. After all, you have nothing to hide from your loved ones, do you?" Hiashi made clear.

She swallowed at the thick lump in her throat, ignoring the foreboding air quickly rising between them. How much exactly did he know already? Hanabi hadn't been able to hear or get enough information out of him over her situation with Naruto back during their stay at the mountain villa; he couldn't know about the club or just how far she had rekindled their relationship...not yet.

"It must have been nice to during the break for you to go about being so unruly, not only creating rumors surrounding the Hyuga name, but giving your own sister ideas of rebellion." Hiashi went on.

"I'm an adult now father and while I had no intentions over my holiday break of trying to stain the Hyuga name as you say, I can't control what you and others think of what I do on my own private matters nor of what Hanabi will do even if she goes against mine or your advice." Hinata replied back, surprised at how easy the words had flowed out. Her heart raced with the new found adrenaline, wracking her mind to continue the perfect facade that nothing he could say would make her flinch ever again.

Hiashi too, was stunned briefly at the sharpness of her tone. 'How far will she take this for that boy? She's already attempting to build a case against me without knowing the stakes she's going against.'

"Do you realize what's going to happen if you keep this behavior up? I might not know the full details of what you've been keeping in the dark from me involving Naruto, but every secret and lie you've told has left behind a trail. We both know that all dark secrets eventually come into the light; whether we want them to or not." Hiashi pointed out, voice matching her own derisiveness.

Hinata faltered slightly at his words, enough for a smirk to slip across his lips. She glanced down at her tightened palms, they had become a ghastly pale white at how much she had unknowingly been balling them up.

True, she hadn't perfectly hidden her relationship with Naruto nor even really wanted to, but the price of that secret had become greater than she had imagined. When she had been mailed just days earlier documents upon documents with the Hyuga crest stamp and Konoha University emblem on each corner of the pages related to her summer behavior and supposed academic dishonesty that could result in the loss of her scholarship, she bitterly realized how cruel her father's motives truly were.

How could she be sure if he was trying to do this for her own best interest or his still?

"Father please; you know it doesn't or shouldn't have to come down to this. You're trying to slander my name and Naruto's with no good reasons and I have to fight you back on that. " Hinata urged, her voice was falling back into it's usual meekness and she willed herself to finish without keeping her voice from cracking or sounded so frail. She had told him already all the positives and excuses she could on behalf of Naruto, if trying to be placid would no longer work, then playing dirty was going to be her only option.

"I've giving you my ultimatum Hinata; I can make the rest of your final weeks in school peaceful if you merely stop these elusive acts you're doing or hell if you really think you can challenge me; which is it?" He asked, shifting out of his chair to seemingly leave her alone to think over the question.

Hinata scowled, reaching to grasp his hand before he even got out the door. Years of pent up anger, frustration, and sadness surging again that this time she wouldn't drown out or push back down.

"I will gladly pick hell."

-X-

Getting lunch on the go probably would've been a better idea based on her foul mood, but she was doing this out of the sake of her friend's concern over her.

Hinata sighed, tempted to question her friends over why they had on such silly grins. The dull throbbing of her head kept her from fully focusing on the pair since she had left the Hyuga household; Hiashi's determination to find some loophole in taking away her scholarship only spurred her in trying to prevent him from digging deeper and doing more investigating on her own of his and the family's secrets.

Was even trying to continue her affair with Naruto appropriate at this point though with how difficult the idea of handling these new stressors would be? She quickly buried the thought the before it winding up making her nauseous.

'All dark secrets come to light as you say, which means yours too will eventually be found out one day father...' She reminded herself.

The wind began to pick up to distract her and she hugged her fuchsia scarf closer, wishing they had picked to sit inside the on campus bistro instead of on the patio. While it was already surprisingly getting crowded for only the early part of the afternoon, the comforting ambiance and music going on back inside could calm how tense she was still feeling.

It would also help that Sakura and Ino wouldn't be able to see her face flushing uncomfortably with how dark they kept the lighting to keep up with the bistro's "cool" theme.

"Do I even want to know what you two are giggling about so much?" Hinata eventually inquired with a small smile, being mopey after all wasn't going to solve her problems.

Sakura snickered in delight, green eyes sparkling with mirth. " Oh, I'm sure you do! Ino and I were just going through some of the pictures we took over the break and came across this particular one."

Ino took the liberty of moving said photo into view of her eyes: A picture of her and Naruto back at Club 81, but unlike the less than scrupulous photos she had gotten of them in the past via Toneri, this one had been expected; the two happily leaning in close to each other in one of the hidden away booths while poker games, dancing, and shows went on in the background. It had been a double date again to the club, this time though Sakura had somehow convinced Sasuke to come along.

"Oh Sakura, don't our resident 'secret lovers' look so cute!" Ino cooed, laughing lightly as she handed Hinata the copy into her hands.

Hinata huffed, bending at the photo absentmindedly to avoid their smirks. "Why do you constantly call us by that nickname?

"Well it fits, doesn't it? How many other couples do we know that try actively to keep their relationship in the dark?" Sakura questioned, but frowned when Hinata's smile didn't match her own, feigning how much her words didn't bother her.

Because no matter how much this all seemed like lighthearted teasing, everything they discussed had a sharp edge of truth to it.

When Hinata looked up again, she found that Sakura and Ino had tried to alleviate the situation by focusing over to their assignments due for the week to stop pressuring her. She glanced between the two of them for a moment before a thought suddenly occurred to her.

Where was Tenten?

The further she dwelled on it, the more unnerved she got, thinking back to her case or did she even have a case going by how her father hadn't seemed to take anything she might find seriously? 'She used to date Neji on and off, would he try to get information about me by using her and relate it back to father? No, Tenten wouldn't budge even it came to him, but she hasn't spent much time around us lately either...'

"Hey, you guys haven't seen Tenten around; have you?" Hinata questioned, getting their concentration off their books.

Ino looked ready to say no until she peered over her shoulder and brightened. "Oh, isn't that her over there by the fountain? She's been so busy lately going through that skills test for that weapons club that we've barely seen her since the semester started."

Hinata followed her line of sight, a mixture of relief and envy at seeing her so calm, laughing casually with whom she presumed were others members of the club while she felt overwhelmed at only the start of another semester. Afternoon classes were beginning to get out and she sulked a little at how harder it quickly became to see her amongst the mass of students filling into the area.

To her surprise though, Tenten's gaze shifted towards their direction. She made the motions to smile and lift a hand up to wave, but winched when she saw her eyes move away hastily as she turned to disappear into the crowds with her gang.

The hand she had begun to use to wave numbly stiffened at her side, bitter thoughts stinging at her ego that such a small action was affecting her so much.

Because if Tenten was going to suddenly treat her like she was invisible, how soon would it be before the rest of her friends did? Would that be how her family would break her down; steal away or bribe at her comfort and support groups to make sure no one would be on her side?

"Well, that was rude! I'm pretty sure Tenten saw you and practically looked right through us!" Ino griped out with Sakura chiming her agreement, beginning to rant on her change of attitude since hanging out with her new group of friends.

Hinata shivered, quietly rubbing at her hands and arms to get rid of the rising tension. 'Maybe my first thoughts about Neji and Tenten weren't too far-fetched. Naruto's been snooping around for answers as well. I'm sure he might probably already know about my case by now.' If they both had details, then the best option was to meet up to go over how much the other had and go from there.

'Or maybe you just need an excuse to get all of this stuff off your mind and want to see Naruto again, even if you said you should handle this on your own?' She asked herself mockingly, Naruto somehow always knew what to say or to do to make her feel better and right now, she just wanted to fall into his comforting words and arms again.

In spite of what she had said, she knew he wouldn't let her face this problem alone anyways.

It took her close to an hour to eventually find a spot secluded enough away to meet up with Naruto once she had called him and only minutes for him to somehow convince her to go back to his place.

Her thoughts again reminded her of the little evidence and information either of them had built up at the moment to do anything against her family and that she was merely letting her emotions take over, but those inner gripes fell apart and disappeared because nothing had happened since she had entered back into his apartment. The familiar scent of ramen and half-done laundry wafted throughout the air as she allowed him to guide her to his bed.

They were going to keep this professional because at least they still had their clothes on and were discussing school related topics for now.

It was easier to continue to tell herself that back when she had set to meet up with Naruto on the basis that she needed to vent out her anxiety, frustrations, and ask him what he knew about her budding case before then heading straight back to her apartment to maintain a new balance between life, work, and school.

But that balance was easily broken going by Naruto's dubious naming of their hanging out to be called "in person therapy."

"This is why I thought we should've just stayed at the school; we never stay focused on one subject long enough." Hinata mumbled, squirming under the light kisses he pressed against her neck. She turned, not resisting as he pulled her deeper under her sheets into his arms. "This was all just a perfectly planned ruse for another rendezvous, wasn't it? And I fell right into it like you and I both wanted."

Naruto chuckled, fingers threading lightly against her breasts and downward. "To paraphrase, you said you were tired and wanted to get your thoughts off your chest with how stressed this case was making you and I said let's sneak out the back way of the school to my place where I could help calm you down to which you agreed!"

Hinata giggled at his far off explanation, lighting moving to peck his lips. "I don't recall saying it like that or even bringing up sneaking away...you know what happens when we get together and right now... we shouldn't with how my family is being-"

"But we can, I can always make you forget about your worries. So for now, only focus on us and us alone because we can save all those problems for another time and handle it together." Naruto cut her off, gently intertwining their hands together. His voice dropped an octave lower as he whispered her name against her skin, grunting when he settled back on finishing his love bite. Clothes got hurriedly tossed apart, fervor rising at the need for pleasure and release. She grasped at locks of his blonde hair while her other hand dug nails into his back, his teeth beginning to move and scrape against her collarbone.

"Is this your sweet spot Hinata...or is it here?" He questioned, tone quickly becoming frustratingly taunting as he pushed himself deep into her warmth. He hissed at how quickly her walls constricted around his shaft, thrusting again when he heard her moan.

"Yes, its Ah!" Her voice cracked as she subconsciously arched into him and his touches. Vision and mind growing hazy with lust as he hastened his grinding, hips moving with his to slowly bring her to ecstasy.

She drew in a sharp breath at the familiar sensation beginning to heat her inside, completely falling apart in his arms.

-X-

"It's 1:06 am; why is it already 1:06 am?" Hinata whispered to herself repeatedly.

It was already after midnight and she was still at Naruto's apartment. She shouldn't have been so surprised when Naruto eventually confessed had no idea of what her case entailed except that her father seemed to be trying to slander her name in an attempt to stop their behavior and meeting up. He went on to proudly proclaim though to have broken into Tsunade's office to find the file due the fact he had overheard her mention the name Hyuga after his class had ended. She had spent the past few hours since that admission updating him on what she had learned and done so far, but when she had related to him Tenten's odd behavior from earlier he had alluded to an idea that still had her confused.

"I think it's time we finally pay a visit to all those business moguls, politicians, and other top officials that often visit Club 81 for undisclosed circumstances." He had declared, rueful smile broadening against his distinctive cheek whiskers.

'What good is that going to do? Won't that just put a bigger target on our backs?' Hinata pondered, a light snore pulling her from her thoughts. She turned to look at her other bed occupant, tufts of blonde hair sticking out from under the sheets soothed her restlessness somewhat.

She had to be at peace and stay calm if she was going to get through this.

Naruto's idea though left it hard to return to sleep, even if her eyes dazedly closed in and out. Was he really implying that high ranking associates of the Hyuga clan were somehow included in that pack? It didn't sound too unreasonable and if so, it would explain the constant source of gossip her family continued to have over her and even possibly Tenten's actions.

They could be attempting to distract her from finding out about any of the other family member's secrets by focusing on all of her indiscretions alone or in a vague way warning her to stop being nosy before things only got worse for her.

Or maybe her crazy hopeful assumptions were starting to become a bit too outlandish.

"It's a bit too early to be playing investigator right now; that's my job." Naruto crooned drowsily by her ear, nearly caused her to slip off his bed in fright. He was alert enough though to catch her by the arm, shifting off his orange covers to watch her.

"I didn't mean to wake you." Hinata apologized, Naruto shook his head, casting her a sleepy grin.

"I figured you would be fast asleep after our earlier activities." Naruto noted, amused by the abrupt rise in heat that came to her face as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Clouds had begin to come in overnight, obscuring any light of the moon slipping by his curtains like it had earlier in the night. He was sure by later on in the peak morning hours there would probably be a light rain already in session.

Hinata rolled back over onto his chest, shutting her eyes to temporarily focus on just the beating of his heart and his warmth. It's momentum picked up into a wilder pace when she realized she had pressed her still bare breasts against him, but she made no motion to move away nonetheless.

"The only way to get some answers or at least turn the tables on your father is to get information from who else, but the other top executives he is always working with? It wouldn't necessarily be blackmail per say, it's knowing his connections and getting one step ahead of him on what he may ask them to do or has already told them to do to try and break us up, Only they would know what secrets he keeps hidden from the business world and his personal world; we both know Club 81 is the gateway they use to pass between both realms without anyone hopefully finding out." Naruto reasoned, knowing what was on her mind.

Hinata sighed in response, warm breath fanning his chest as she rose off of him to meet his gaze. "So when do you think we should do this? Jiraiya keeps his clientele relatively confidential who use his upstairs rooms. We can't assume anyone we come across at the club is secretly an informant of my family or works with my father."

Naruto lightly swept a finger against the outline of her face, a wild grin etching his features. "This Saturday we'll head into the club separately around 30 minutes after each other. I managed to get Jiraiya to tell me that high end directors try not to be at the club all at once or at least rotate whose there on what days. One such manager or figure should be coming up to the second floor around 11 pm for his visit with one of the hostesses; we'll be able to catch a glimpse of who he or she is and work from there."

Naruto waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her awed look. "Blown away by my how smart my plan is, huh? I've been piecing it together for days now!"

"I can tell." She breathed, recollecting her thoughts. For the next few days until the weekend came, the plan stayed in the back of her mind. It was exhilarating and nerve wracking all at once; if they indeed did catch someone who had a connection to one of Hiashi's firms or was even a close friend of his, what would he say then when she presented the evidence?

'Now what do you think father? Your own close officials aren't as perfect or conformists like you as you thought. Firing them might not be in your best interest, but you can't be ignorant to it anymore either. Or did you know that they've been acting out on their own impure desires and promiscuity right underneath your nose and covered it up? Are they allowed a free pass while you've just been hypocritical about it with me?' She mentally challenged him, smiling to herself as she took a sip from her water. She leaned back against the club's walls and waited for Naruto's signal to follow him upstairs, the dance floor was already becoming littered with confetti and balloons to celebrate one of the club's workers birthday or some crazy weekend event.

No sooner had she finished doing another sweeping search around did Naruto send her a wink and a tug at his ear and she nodded her head, keeping to the shadows the wall gave off from the streaming lights as the two met in a corner adjacent next to the line of luxury rooms.

The first thing she noted was that Naruto's bright grin had faded the closer she got to him, scowl getting wider as she came into his view.

"I-Is he or she already here or did we miss them?" Hinata murmured, keeping her voice as low and urgent as she could with the distraction of moans and cries filling the air once more from the close by rooms. His antsy and odd behavior was starting to affect her and she reached to clutch at his jacket to stop her fingers from trembling.

"We..We didn't miss him, I'm just not sure though if we should keep to the plan; it's only going to get complicated from here." Naruto grunted, jabbing his hands into this pockets before his anger became noticeable to anyone else. 'Damn it, I should've weighed all the options when working this idea out...'

Hinata cautiously followed his gaze to the end of the hall, breath stiffening as the figure's name faintly tumbled from her lips in shock. The pair in attention paid them no mind though, a petite woman with thick jet black hair dressed in a matching skimpy two piece maid outfit eagerly clung to her next client's arm, swinging one hand towards the zipper of his pants while the other made sure to draw her nails in long strides through his chestnut colored hair.

"Neji?"

A/N: Hey readers, just letting you know I appreciate and love the support and feedback with this story! Now that the holidays (Happy Belated Thanksgiving!) are coming and I've just gotten past a major exam for graduation (thank goodness!), I feel like maybe I can update this story again a bit more often maybe once the rest of my finals pass as well. I know at least I'll be able to relax a bit easier so feel free to message me and let me know your thoughts! :D


	9. Wildflower

Chapter 9: Wildflower

Lilac eyes remained fixed on the scene playing out in front of her.

Unmoving. Rigid.

Neji lightly shoved the woman in question hands away from the zipper of his pants, pointing silently to a room adjacent from them.

The woman giggled at his response, behavior unaffected by his cold reaction as she reached instead to grab his hand and lead him away.

And it took every ounce of Hinata's self-control not to call out his name as they clicked and locked the door close behind them.

Naruto guided her away before she could even take a step to follow, taking them straight back against the covers of the walls where they had been behind only seconds earlier.

"Did…Did Jiraiya always know he was a client?" Hinata whispered, the words spilling out as quickly as they came to mind.

"I don't know; I never asked him about whom his clientele were and even then, I doubt he would have told me since that all is supposed to be confidential." Naruto grumbled; digging his hands deeper into his pockets at the growing frown Hinata sent him.

Because that sounded like utter BS no matter how positive he tried to spin or make it sound.

Naruto gained a strange feeling as he soothingly reached out to pat Hinata's shoulders to keep her calm. Hinata rarely ever showed signs of anger, but telling by the blossoming glow beginning to spark in her narrowing eyes and the fading remnants of the blush that had stained her cheeks at the shock of the display, her nervousness at doing nothing was fading. Fast.

And it made him a little too apprehensive on what to say or do next without setting it off. He hadn't realized how much each of them had slowly been changing the other since restarting their relationship.

It was good thing though that Hinata was being more bold and confident, so why was he feeling unsure of how to act towards it as of late; especially with all the new problems coming up?

'We can't do anything now though I'm sure even Hinata knows that, the best thing to do right now is to cancel everything; without enough details we'll just end up going in a circle.' Naruto determined.

Hinata softly sighed, bringing him from his thoughts as she squeezed his hands lightly to remove them from her shoulders. "I won't jump to any conclusions... for now."

Her voice came out hollow and crackled, echoing and falling away into the shadows and walls surrounding them. Naruto scrunched his face in worry at her change in demeanor, silently trailing after her to back outside the club's doors. The crisp air provided some temporary relief from the stuffiness of the club, but it was only paving the way for bitter thoughts to fill the void of silence it left behind.

The red light district continued on with its festivities, staying active and lively especially on weekends like this where students and adults alike needed some form of escape with the start of another semester. Streams of flashing blaring red lights, beckoning catcalls of hostesses, and fliers to advertise up and coming clubs or events only brought her mind back to Neji and everything she thought she knew to become blurred.

'He's been lecturing Hanabi and me about our behavior on and on for so long now while sneaking out back here this whole time? Or is this all a ruse, a set-up of something that father or someone from within the company has set him up to do for business to throw me off?' Hinata considered, though she doubted her father would want Neji to conduct meetings at a sleazy nightclub.

He had to be there for pleasure, business couldn't be completely ruled out just yet, but the options at the moment pointed to the more repulsive answer.

Naruto's warm breath was suddenly close to ear and her mind drifted into mush at his abrupt amorous impulse. Nobody paid them any mind, other couples and civilians using the back alleys they had strewn past were already engaged in far more lewd actions. The blanket of the night and relative large crowds bustling about kept them perfectly out of focus.

"Don't be nervous Hinata, I know we may act as strangers during the day, but at night we are lovers; I had to think of some way to calm you down. Are you going to let what you saw ruin the rest of our night… because I certainly don't attend to?"

He smirked when she her eyes skittered between keeping her focus forward and at him, her fingers deftly moving to get his hands from reaching under her shirt while she stifled a groan. "Naruto, we should be thinking about creating plans right now...n-not making love."

"Why can't we do both?" Naruto questioned back teasingly, grin widening at the rise of pink that flooded her face. The two walked a fair distance more, chatting over their schedules, classes, and when they would meet again for follow up. They paused just outside of Hinata's apartment and her heart fluttered again when Naruto bent to kiss her goodnight; standing on her tiptoes to get closer to his warmth.

"Tonight will have to be the last time for a while." She whispered against his lips as he pulled away and confusion overcame him at her brief wistful look: An expression she only gave when her mind was deeply troubled. His concerns from earlier rose again at what she was thinking, but he kept his worries hidden behind a lax smile; ignoring the singularly repeating maddening thought that over and over asked same question.

'What is that supposed to mean; what are you secretly trying to tell me?!'

But Hinata gave him no time to mull over the meaning of her words because her eyes lit up again as if she had said nothing at all, a radiant smile lighting up her face under the pale glow of the streetlights. "We need answers and there's only one person we know who would have the best answers right now."

"Jiraiya?"

Hinata shook her head, giggling at his continued rambling guesses of people until she held up a hand to stop him.

"Tenten."

-X-

"I thought she would be prettier." Tenten remarked with a snort.

Her eyes shifted away from the woman in question who had had Neji's attention just nights ago. Her maid uniform tonight had been replaced with similar red and black frilly waitress attire. Pushing that aside though, any of her past flings or clothes wasn't keeping her from flirting with any of the new wandering eyes she got. She went on in obliviously filling out orders, giving teasing peeks of her chest and playful winks without a care in the world.

Tenten for her part made no effort to veil the acidity in her voice, envy projecting in glares and muttered curses as Sakura and Ino sat on both sides of her to keep her placate.

Naruto squirmed, those had been the first words out of her mouth since they had arrived and already he wanted to call and find Hinata to head over to whatever library where she was currently working on her group project ASAP. When Hinata had suggested they visit Tenten for answers on Neji's odd behavior, he hadn't expected it to mean him going in alone; especially without any other guys around to make this ladies' night less...

Agonizing.

'Where the hell did Sasuke go anyways? He said he had to step out to take a phone call and never came back!' Naruto thought grouchily, excusing himself to the restroom to search for the man.

He found him tucked away in a corner close to the entrance, eyes closely regarding the exit until he blocked his view. "So...you were going to just bail on me; weren't you?!"

Sasuke raised a brow at the question, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. "Other plans have come up. Besides, if you're really going to be a top notch figure in law, investigations, and affairs of the city and whatnot; you'll have to deal with uncomfortable situations like this at some point."

Naruto scoffed, rolling his eyes at the statement. "Oh, don't give me all of that crap! Trying to take the topic off of you isn't going to work."

"...I've dealt with enough of Sakura dragging me here for the 'support' to need a break from it for one night at least." Sasuke finally said.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but Sasuke had already begun to move and weave his way through the growing crowds entering and leaving. He rushed to follow after him, ignoring the jeers and swears he got from club goers he pushed aside to keep up with him.

Sasuke regarded Naruto dully as he eventually caught up to him. 'This idiot is going to follow me home unless I stop and give him some help.' Grunting, he tossed a handkerchief his way, partly amused by his fumbling and ultimately failed effort to catch it. The plain silk cloth fell onto the cold pavement between them.

"What the heck am I supposed to do with this?" Naruto questioned, picking up the gray fabric and grimacing when Sasuke simply chuckled.

That couldn't be a good sign.

"It's for maybe when the tears start coming after around round four or five of drinks or so. Who knows, maybe even you'll need it knowing how emotional you can get." Sasuke explained.

"What the- damn it why would you keep something like that from me?! Can't you give me some better advice before I end up going back in there? I'm not going to be able to get any information if emotions get too much in the way." Naruto complained.

Sasuke ignored his whining, throwing up an offhand wave and one last message before he turned to go for real.

"Have fun."

"It's about time you got back here Naruto! I know it couldn't have taken you that long to piss!" Sakura barked out, voice trying to overtake the piercing noises around them as she cheered his return to the booth. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the champagne they had ordered was already halfway gone and internally groaned.

Ino smiled; face quickly becoming flustered as she downed her fourth shot. "Tell us Naruto, how crazy do things really get between you and Hinata in the bedroom? Is it true your stamina can keep you going all night long?" She emphasized.

The innuendo was unfortunately not lost on him.

'I should've gunned it like Sasuke did...' Naruto realized, glancing at any of the outgoing shows to keep his mind off of answering the question.

Sakura whooped in agreement, tugging on his arm a bit too tightly to return his attention to them, heatedly tossing the sticky strands of sweat and hair clinging to her face away to give him a hardened stare. "HEY, don't you even think about ignoring us when we ask you a question; I want to know as well! Hinata has always been too shy to tell us about that kind of kinky stuff, but you're always so loud and boastful in just about anything and I assume that means sex as well. So, is she a sultry seductress behind closed doors?!"

Images of rowdier nights crossed his mind briefly. Whispered cries mingling in with taunting games of pleasure that played out until peaks of sunlight would slip through onto one of their beds and the mask of secrecy would be put on again until their next rendezvous.

'Naruto, I want you…so, so, much…let me fulfill your desires tonight.'

Snickering tore him from his thoughts and he reddened in awareness that both Sakura and Ino knew how far his thoughts had gone.

"Fellatio that awesome, huh?" Ino slurred out teasingly with a swirl of her cocktail and Naruto gulped uneasily, sparing a glance to Tenten to please get the conversation back to why he was here in the first place.

Tenten only huffed at his desperate look, slowly stirring at her fifth unfinished shot. "Hinata has changed quite a bit since you two started doing this not-so secretive dating or at least hanging out more. I suppose Neji has changed too..."

"Not as much as you may think, he's still hasn't completely taken the stick out of his ass to mellow out. I'm not sure how off and on your relationship was, but you know it isn't like him to come to a place like this; especially when he was growing suspicious of knowing Hinata and I using this place to meet. He has some reason for being here that we're trying to piece together as quickly as possible. "Naruto described, glad he got a small chuckle out of her at his joking.

Tenten hummed her agreement, wobbly trying to stand and dance off her tipsiness, but ended using the table for support before she fell. "Still, I personally think it would be better to ask that girl for answers, she's the one who got the great stoic Neji to apparently drop his pants for her; she must be good. I can't tell you much about Hinata and her father's situation that I think will be of help to you though; Neji hasn't told me anything and he always kept quiet about family affairs."

Sakura and Ino had calmed down enough to want to hear his answer on what he would do next, but Naruto shook his head.

"I think we're all sober enough to know at the moment that going to question that girl at this point would be just asking for far more trouble."

-X-

The cushions of his bed never felt so damn comforting after that ladies night 'session'.

It was a little past 11:30 and Naruto's feet ached in solace to no longer be on the go. His breathing evened out as he lazily kicked his tennis shoes off and away into the darkness, thoughts running back to the dreams he had lately that left him listless and often awake in the odd hours of the night.

Because ever since Hinata had murmured so softly against his lips that their meetings may not happen for a good awhile and had taken to acting more openly brazen, his dreams had taken to allaying the carnal desires he could not act on with her when awake. Sakura and Ino's unknowingly alluding to it all tonight wasn't helping matters much either.

He gritted his teeth, burying his face deeper into a pillow when he felt his body react at the memories. These weren't the first times he had erotic dreams about Hinata, but...but she was beginning to act less and less like her usual self the more each time a new dream occurred. Dressing more provocatively with each new encounter, taunting him with looks and torturous touches that would make her whole face go red and bring her into a shy stuttering mess if he dared tell her of them in reality.

A part of him worried if subconsciously it was how he wanted Hinata to act or for their relationship to be more hedonistic than necessary. The more rational part of his mind told him though he was just feeling stressed by the tolls her family was putting on the two of them.

'Is it going to happen again though? He reflected, shutting his eyes to keep from concentrating too much on the subject.

When he opened them again though he found himself in one of Club 81's fantasy rooms, the scent of lavender overwhelming him as he abruptly sat up, pushing away at the scattered rose petals beside him.

"It's about time you woke up; round one really took a lot of you; didn't it?" Hinata purred from beside him, shifting to move on top of him.

Naruto studied her dazedly; sleep dying away as he mind registered what was happening. "Huh, what are we doing back here?! I thought we were trying to stay low from each other for a while until we separately collected enough information-"

Hinata laughed lightly, brushing a finger across his lips. "Naruto, I thought we agreed we weren't going to mention any of our real life problems while we were in here. We were lucky enough that Jiraiya could secure this room for us tonight after all. The honeymoon themed room is pretty popular after all."

To accentuate her point, she hovered down to peck at his lips, kissing along the muscles of his chest and heated skin until she reached his groin area.

He grunted as her fingers curled around his erection, tongue moving glide up his shaft. "Hinata wait-" He hissed, but subconsciously clenched his hands into her dark hair; keeping her in place when she tugged away his boxers and lips descended against his member.

His hands tangled deeper as she began to suck faster and he groaned, growled, and soon stumbled out her name as his felt his release spill into her mouth. He panted, waiting for his body to calm from his climax until he met Hinata's eyes again.

"You came a bit fast that time...maybe I should try and move a bit slower next time." She mused delightfully, licking her lips. Her gaze turned sinfully wicked as her fingers reached to stroke him again.

"That's not necessary!" Naruto hastily stated, clasping her hand before she could get close again. He simultaneously used her momentary confusion to cover both himself and her up, shifting them under the silk velvet red blanket and sheets.

Hinata furrowed her brows before shrugging and cuddling closer. "What's wrong? I didn't even begin to use my other methods yet…unless; do you want to take me now?" She drawled out suggestively, rubbing herself exactly where he wanted her.

'Hinata isn't this dirty...Hinata isn't this dirty...' He repeated over in his head, sure she wasn't completely shy in the bedroom, but she never pushed for sex.

"Naruto, did you hear me?" Hinata asked, fingers threading to play with the tufts of hair at the back of his head. He reached to grab her hands again before they ended up going elsewhere once more.

Hinata pouted at his lack of response, shaking her head with a smile. "I was saying, don't worry or think about it too much. Tonight is going to be the last time for a while...let's enjoy it while we can."

There it was again, those same haunting words she had said earlier. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to find the deeper meaning behind his words. "Why...why do you keep saying that?"

But the vision of Hinata was gone again when he opened his eyes for a second time. He was back again in his room, damp and sticky in all the worst places.

He haphazardly tossed his sweaty sheets to the ground, squinting his eyes to read the time. It would close to be to dawn in about an hour or so. 'Hinata isn't going to do anything wild behind my back; I need to trust her just as much as she trusts me. I don't know if she actually thinks her family won't ever change, but I know if the plan is for us to stay separated for a good while then I have to assume she has something big in mind, right?'

Whatever the reason though, he wouldn't be able to think properly still half asleep and in this state of mind.

He needed a cold shower. Now.

-X-

It was misty as Naruto locked up his door to head out. Sunlight barely managed to peek in through the dense fog covering the city. After going through two consecutive showers and hot breakfast, he had decided a morning run would be the best way for him to concentrate and properly gather his rampant ideas and musings. With it only being a little past 7 am, he expected there to be little to no people in an about the town at this moment.

At least that was what he hoped.

He started out with a few simple stretches by the trees near his apartment, focusing in particular on his legs and arms to keep them from cramping up early. Going by his past runs around the city, it would probably take him around an hour to an hour a half to make it around the main city centers today. He zipped up his black and orange jacket as he broke into a stride and waved to a few stores opening up their doors for the day.

They chose to either ignore him, wave back, or simply gave him a blank stare.

'I guess that's better than getting no reaction out of anyone; I'll make a name for myself soon enough though that everyone will be greeting with a smile.' Naruto rationalized, slowing down when he neared the main coffee shop.

Sitting under the shades of the umbrellas outside by the shop were Hinata and Tenten.

All at once he felt his body tighten while he surveyed the scene. He was too far away to hear their conversation, but Hinata was nodding her head and writing a few things down in her notebook as Tenten went on. Tenten paused when she saw him from the distance, a smirk creeping up onto her lips as she beckoned him over.

His mind immediately rushed to the worst case scenarios. Had she been telling Hinata of everything that had happened the night before with Sakura and Ino's explicit suggestions? Before he even knew it, he had broken into a brisk pace the more his thoughts played it out.

"I-Is that Naruto?" Hinata questioned, seeing a blonde blur rapidly heading their way. Naruto usually wasn't an early riser unless classes or an emergency called for it.

Tenten nodded, clasping a hand over her mouth to hide her spreading grin. "It seems like he's in a hurry to see you."

"Naruto, what are you doing here-" Hinata began, but Naruto's gaze was directed towards Tenten, antsy and focused bewildering her even more.

"Ah, you're not telling Hinata about Sakura and Ino's joking from the other night, are you?!" Naruto sputtered, swiftly moving from looking at her to Hinata. "Don't believe any of it Hinata, they were a little drunk and didn't mean what they said!"

Hinata blinked, waiting for Naruto to take in a deep breathe. "Um, I was actually just asking Tenten about a biology exam we had coming up next week and comparing notes...but what are you talking about?"

He was sure he could hear Tenten laughing behind his back at the clever act she had played.

"Err, well you know, Sakura and Ino were just trying to know more about our bedroom life...but I didn't tell them anything honestly! I kept trying to change the topic even when they tried to push me to tell." Naruto rambled on.

Hinata flustered, remembering past ladies nights when the more drinks one had, the looser one's lips got. She was already well aware of the taunts Sakura and Ino probably had used against him. "It's okay Naruto; I know that was probably difficult to deal with. I'm glad you stood your ground."

Naruto brightened, relieved and annoyed he had blown the situation out of proportion. Again. Her gaze softened as Naruto scratched and tossed away at the leaves that had fell into his hair during his sprint, avoiding her knowing smile by stares to the sky.

Tenten peered between them, wondering how two people so close and even intimate with each other could still be so shy around each other like this. Her stomach began to twist and tangle in grudging jealously at a love she mourned and subconsciously continued to chase. Shaking it off, she coughed to get their attention before she allowed it to fester.

"Actually, it's good that you're here Naruto. I did a lot of thinking last night and into this morning and I believe I have a plan that will help mitigate the issue of Neji and the Hyuga's that binds us all together."

-X-

Hinata contemplated over Tenten's plan for what seemed like the umpteenth time, pacing back and forth from her bed to the bathroom on what to do.

"I say you go through with this plan Hinata; you and Naruto called Club 81 first for your secret sex life. Neji is just going to have to find his own club if he wants to meet up with hookers and hide his secret perversions!" Hanabi chimed from her bed, casually reading from one of her old magazines.

Hinata squirmed; sometimes she wished her sister wasn't so blunt in her responses. "That's not what's bothering me! It's that Neji's not the type of person to do something like this, that father and the rest of the family are all on the verge of finding out the full truth and will take my scholarship away; it's all becoming so overwhelming. "

"I don't even see why you're worried about this Hinata; father does need to know what his favorite nephew is up to after all! I would be more concerned about the lack of time you've been able to spend with Naruto lately. You probably have him frazzled by telling him that you can't spend time together anymore. And I know you miss him going by these marked red-hot reads from the Cosmopolitan." Hanabi remarked; giggling at Hinata's flustering to instantly grab the magazine away.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, I only meant that us spending night after night together was going to distract us from or schoolwork and whatnot!" Hinata retorted, curling at the magazine anxiously. She both knew where they were their thoughts were heading and she sighed.

Naruto had more than likely misinterpreted her words and was jumping to wrong conclusion first before he reached the right one.

Hanabi simply shrugged, stretching her legs off the bed. "Well, besides clearing up that issue with Naruto, show them you mean business when you catch Neji in the act. Also make sure you to get plenty of shots! Who knows, one of them may find its way on to the bulletin board in father's main office..."

"Father's main office?" Hinata repeated to which Hanabi nodded, surprise etching her face at the brief smile that Hinata gained.

"Oh, why stop there? I think a memo with the photos attached to all his top executives may work better. Challenges and any forms of intimidation are a two way street, even though he doesn't believe it. Anyways, don't forget to lock up before you go; the spare make-up you wanted is by the kitchen counter." Hinata regarded, beaming at Hanabi before grabbing her coat and turning to go.

Hanabi watched her sister leave from out the window, violet hair swishing gently behind her back as she moved quickly under the fading evening light.

Hinata wouldn't resort to blackmail or threats such as that unless it became a last resort, but still the thought of it truly happening was enticing, especially with Hinata jestingly alluding to the idea of it.

She preferred to remain partially hopeful though she would get an attached photo sent to her phone later on with at least some nudity.

-X-

Neji knew he was being watched, someone from amongst the crowds had not stopped staring at him since he had arrived.

Pearl eyes sharpened to glance around, pool games and dance competitions went on nearby him, but he didn't see anyone particularly looking at him until he saw a flicker of the streams of light from the dance floor land on her: Tenten. Her stare was as sharp as his before she moved to look away and he followed where her she peered to; Hinata and Naruto standing up and heading his way.

"Neji, are you alright? You haven't said a word since we met up. Don't tell me you're not in the mood again tonight." The woman questioned, nudging on his arm gently.

'So, this really confirms that this is the club Hinata's been using, but were both here at the same time and if this isn't the first time that she's seen me here then she must believe that I…' He kept his face and manner reserved as he forced the thought away, even when Hinata approached him with an uncanny smile.

"Neji, I never thought I would see you here! And you've been making new friends as well." Hinata mused brightly; unfazed by the turmoil his female occupant gained at seeing all of them approach at once. The woman casted a stare to Neji, hazel eyes skimming him for any sign of answers to what was going on.

Naruto itched to speak as well, knowing exactly what words to say to break his stupid facade. Tenten silently regarded him briefly, noticing his companion trying to discreetly un-wrap her arm from him. She caught her by the arm just as she finished untangling herself.

"Let's get this over with; with everyone involved here." She reiterated, squeezing the girl's arm a bit tighter at her wiggling to escape.

Hinata nodded her head in agreement, smile contorting into a plain facial mask.

Perfect to match Neji's own.

"It's a bit too noisy here for talk though; let's head to the booths towards the back where it's a bit quieter." Hinata suggested. The five of them made their way over to the area. Hinata glanced over her shoulder to make sure Neji was indeed following them, nearly hesitating when she saw his guise finally slip for a second.

He had appeared genuinely worried.

A/N: Hello and Happy Holidays dear readers! Woohoo can't believe I'm almost to 100 favorites, thanks you guys! You don't know how much I appreciate it.

Question: So, I've had many ideas while writing these chapters and the general plot for the story and I was wondering would you guys like to see focus on other couples besides NaruHina or keep it strictly only on those two? I know I've hinted to other couples, but I've never gone beyond that into more details. I definitely enjoy hearing from you guys so let me know your thoughts on this and what couples you might like to see or not and thanks for reading as always!


	10. Rhapsody

Chapter 10: Rhapsody

"You don't believe me, do you?" Neji declared once more, keeping his wording specifically cautious.

The resounding silence and glares he got back only solidified his answer.

"Of course we don't Neji; after all, the evidence says otherwise." Hinata responded softly, though Neji could detect the faint edge of tartness in her tone.

Tenten huffed, slamming her hands down against the table to direct Neji's and his apparent bedmate towards her. "You don't honestly expect us to believe that the only reason you've been coming to this club was on business of the Hyuga Corporations and not your own sick need to hook up with women?!"

Neji at least had the decency to blush and squirm marginally at her loud allegation and again Hinata noticed his perfect façade begin to slip again when his eyes shifted quickly from Tenten's scowl. She hid the urge to smirk by sighing into the palm of her hand.

It definitely had been a good idea to bring Tenten along.

Naruto coughed, wanting them all to lower their voices when he caught a glance of some partygoers looking in their direction curiously and amusingly. Time wasn't of the essence and Hinata understood by his signal that they needed stay on topic and get on with his explanation.

"So… exactly why have you been coming here again?" Naruto resigned to ask again as Hinata consoled Tenten to quietly calm back down and listen.

Neji gritted his teeth at his hint of smugness at his question, azure eyes practically glowing with mirth and derision that he knew he couldn't insult him or make some snide comeback under these circumstances.

He wouldn't this time or possibly even ever be able continue his open contempt of him, not when Hinata subconsciously leaned in closer to him as she waited out his answer.

Indeed, pearlescent eyes only darkened as she eventually casted her gaze back on him, the loss of trust profound in just one look. He swallowed down the crushing pressure growing in his throat at her silent resolve and fury towards him.

When he had been assigned to visit all the prominent clubs of Konoha to see the who's who of the members, it had been on the pretense that he would eventually find Hinata or Naruto in one of them and report it back straight to his superiors who would tell Hiashi leading to their final breakup and Hinata going back to focusing on her schoolwork and other priorities.

'It's still my assignment, I need to complete it and tell my higher-up what I've found out…I have to complete it for Hinata's sake, but should I complete it knowing the strains it's continuing to cause?' Neji considered, sitting up to speak again.

"As I've said before, Hiashi has been suspicious of the areas you've been using to meet up with Naruto. He had begun narrowing down the options and using his assistants to check out different nightclubs for you two. As such, one of his assistants delegated me to Club 81 to-"Neji explained before getting cut off Tenten's crude snort.

"Excuse me, but where exactly in that 'assignment' of yours did it involve hook-ups with sluts?!" Tenten questioned sharply, directing a finger towards the woman beside him. Her insinuation was enough to make the woman in question finally speak, her terror from earlier fading as she clicked her tongue with a scoff.

"Listen, I'm sorry you're not obviously good enough to pleasure your man here, but nothing has ever come out of his visits to me as you think; no matter what I tried to do he only questioned me on if I ever had any blonde haired clients. I can vouch for him on that; ask Gina or Ayumi the other waitresses if you want proof of that." She shot back, and Naruto took a quick glance at her name tag to make out the name Rika in red cursive letters.

Hinata gave a side glance towards Naruto at that comment, squeezing his hand quietly at the dirty look he sent Neji for his assumption. He peered down at their hands, lightly pressing back on them. Had his anger been that obvious? If so, Hinata at least had been the only one to apparently notice it.

'Hinata knows I can't afford to let my emotions screw things up…neither of us can.'

The situation was beginning to get too stressing for them all and the tempo of the club's fast paced beat slowing down made the awkwardness seem to come out even stronger. Lights streaming across the floor began to move slower and slower as people began to head home or to the bar for one last drink.

"Continue with your account Neji, I'm sorry for interrupting, but so help me if you don't have more details than just that…" Tenten trailed off, ignoring how cracked and weak her warning sounded.

Neji nodded his head, picking up where he left off. "I was delegated to Club 81 by one Hiashi's advisors. Truth be told though, you already knew I was suspicious because Hanabi had mentioned in passing before that this is a popular area for meet ups. I was eventually going to go on my own hunch that you would pick an area that's lewd enough that most of the Hyuga family wouldn't know about it or would pretend it didn't exist."

"Did you…did you ever um have sex with any of these woman to find any information about us or come here out of your own free will just because?" Hinata mumbled, she wanted to be calm and straight when collecting all these details, she really did, but they all knew that this club was really used for quick sexual hook-ups and self-indulgence.

And Neji was stoic enough that he probably would never tell her or want her to find out about such things.

Naruto stifled a laugh next to her to break the tension and she pouted, not wanting to egg him on where she knew he was going. "Naruto?"

He looked between her and Neji and all efforts to smother his snickering instantly fell apart. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but this is Nejiof all people we're talking about! Not Jiraiya or some other crazed pervert!"

She almost began to laugh too, wanting to add some silliness into how uncomfortable this all was.

Almost.

If not for the fact she could tell Neji was still hiding his distress over something, major enough that he no longer wanted to keep going on about the subject. He instead coughed; trying to disregard his embarrassment at Naruto's chuckling echoing over towards the booths around them and Tenten's continued glowering.

Rika took the opportunity to scurry away at their distractions, mumbling over not wanting to get caught up in other people's drama.

"You know, it's really hard to believe you on any of this, right?" Tenten mused, wanting to get up and leave as well. She needed to hear something that properly cleared him of wrongdoing, head feeling fuzzy from her earlier shots and patience wearing thin.

Neji paused in answering and Hinata nudged Naruto gently to get his laughs to die away. "The person who requested I do this assignment was from Satoru."

"Satoru Ueno of father's head cabinet?" Hinata whispered slowly.

Neji simply nodded, confirming her dismay. Naruto himself blinked in confusion at the name before brightening as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know who the hell this guy is he's talking about, but if it's another guy we can investigate into I'm all for it!" He cheered out.

"He won't be easy to find, but I've heard Ueno enjoys dabbling in art collecting. If you're going to track some information on him then at least that's something for you start you off with." Neji related gruffly.

Naruto remained unfazed by his cautioning or why he was even helping them, continuing to delight in affectionately swinging Hinata's hands around at the news.

His confidence swayed her to push down the gnawing fear tugging at her thoughts as they ceremoniously left Neji and Tenten behind to be alone.

"You're not off the hook yet." She heard Tenten spat and she smiled slightly, almost wanting to look over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of Neji's discomfort before the noise of the club drowned them out.

'Satoru is one of father's top assistants; for him to have assigned Neji to something so menial as this must mean he is trying to get in good favor with father or is trying to cover his own tracks…?' Hinata considered. It was a far out option to think years of trust Hiashi had with his advisors were littered with secrets when he knew all of their personal lives so well, but she would keep it in the back of her head for now.

After all, catching her with Naruto would mean anyone of his advisors could succeed in gaining new power, notoriety, and money when it came down to it.

"Hinata, am I going to have to 'distract' your mind from thinking too deeply again?" Naruto chimed in a sing-song voice by her ear.

She flustered, breaking out into giggles when he began to tickle her at her stomach, giggles fading into pants when he hands remained wrapped around her.

Naruto beamed down at her wickedly and she beamed back, only briefly catching over his shoulder a pair of eyes watching. She froze in his arms, observing as the men stood up and left the club not a moment sooner at her glance.

'Those were trade-mark Hyuga eyes...'

-X-

"So, Neji didn't go through with completing his entire objective, did he? Satoru didn't pick the best man for the job after all." Hiashi mused, setting aside his paperwork with a frown.

It had already grown late into the night, another gust of wind rattling against the nearby windows. He restrained the urge to growl as the sound of the main clock ticking above them all resonated throughout the silent room at his question remaining unanswered.

"No but, we have reason to believe that Hinata will be investigating further into the matter involving Mr. Ueno who assigned Neji to the case in the first place." Kō spoke up.

Hiashi paused in flipping through his documents, white eyes narrowing the more he thought about why Ueno had assigned Neji to look into the club.

'Ueno knows that he's divulged in that club's lechery before and that could've been the very reason why he had so badly wanted to assign Neji to do it in the first place. To not get his image any dirtier and my attention off of him so much...'

And it was a fact he knew would eventually or had possibly already crossed Hinata's mind as well.

He chuckled to himself as he leaned back in his chair, peering over towards a framed image he had taken of Hinata upon her high school graduation. She clutched tightly at a bouquet of white lilies as Hanabi and Neji stood by her outside the steps of the school. Upon closer inspection, he could see her straining to continue her smile, the edges of her lips threatening to droop at any second.

That seemed to be the face she enjoyed giving him as of late, a fake grin that conveyed hidden simmering feelings of repressed anger and desires. Maybe he had finally pushed her over the edge with his new decision to try and take her scholarship. It was nice to see her determined though even if he felt it was for the wrong reasons.

"Is there anything you would like us to do now sir?" Tokuma questioned, bringing him from his thoughts.

Hiashi shook his head, turning away from the photo back to his team. "No, nothing needs to be done at this moment. You all may head home for the night."

Nobody moved for a moment at his order and Hiashi shut his eyes, waiting for the sound of footsteps to slowly leave his presence.

He could sense Kō's in particular scowl at his dismissive behavior, confusion evident at the choices he was making as of late.

It wasn't too surprising that he was worried, Kō had watched over Hinata since she was a child and he hadn't been too fond of her choice in men just as much as he was.

The wind clattered at a stronger pace against the trees as he briskly headed home minutes later, most of the trees groaning at the force of energy and crackling at the roots. He moved to step over fallen branches and leaves aglow in the streetlights that illuminated his path.

From his company's perspective it was a bad move to let Hinata and Naruto dig deeper into the well-known members of his board's private lives. The scandals would all eventually fall back on him one way or another and lead to bad business.

But that was a gamble he was willing to face.

His smirk deepened as he finally reached the warmth of his home, nodding to Hanabi as he strode past the kitchen.

'My own plans are already in motion so I'll let Hinata enjoy these next few weeks with Naruto all she wants. It will make it less painful for her when the month comes to an end…' He reasoned.

But he grimaced to himself when the picture of her strained smile came back to mind again, taunting him on his motives.

-X-

"Ino?" Naruto questioned. He backtracked off the stairs at her arrival to the door, avoiding eye contact when he saw her light blue lingerie hanging idly slide off her shoulders a bit without care.

'Isn't this Sai's apartment?' Naruto questioned himself, trying to recall Sai's apartment number by memory; he was sure it was 842 from the last time he had been by. He discreetly moved one eye to check the golden numbers hanging atop the front door.

The numbers 842 stared back at him.

"Is Sai in by any chance?" Hinata moved to ask, blushing at the smile beginning to spread across Ino's face at their obvious discomfort.

"Oh, sure; he's here! Come in and have a seat by the couch while I go get him; you two must be cold just standing out there!" Ino exclaimed giddily, dragging them both by the arms inside before either could protest.

"Hinata, are you sure this was a good idea? I feel already uncomfortable again…" Naruto muttered, keeping his voice low to avoid Ino's detection. His face burned as he kept his stare to the plain white tile beneath them.

'This is like ladies night all over again except Hinata is now here to witness it!'

Hinata squirmed, reddening too at the site of drawings and unfinished sculpted pieces Sai had done surrounding them in the living room. So many of them depicted scenes of graphic sex, lovemaking positions, or were just very…

Phallic in nature.

"Who else do we know connected to art though? We just have to be hopeful that maybe Sai knows something about this person." Hinata whispered back, about to say more until Ino returned back, now covered with a matching blue robe to fit her earlier attire with Sai in tow.

"Naruto and Hinata, what brings you here? Would you like something to drink; I can get some coffee brewing or maybe soda?" Sai asked politely.

"I'll heat up the water to get it started; it's too rare of an occasion to see you two out in daylight together after all!" Ino chimed, standing up to prepare the drinks.

Naruto smiled despite how awkward he felt, Sai had definitely improved on his social skills since their last conversations.

"Or perhaps you and Hinata want to buy one of my works or have ones done of yourselves? I can give you a discount since you're my friends-"He went on.

"No!" Naruto and Hinata cried out in unison, shifting in embarrassment at his assumption.

Ino snickered, patting Sai's hand comfortingly at his look of mild surprise once she came back into the room. "Don't take it the wrong way Sai; Naruto and Hinata prefer to keep the kinky stuff to the bedroom, am I right?!"

Naruto wisely chose to ignore her question. "Sai, does the name Satoru Ueno bring up any memories?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the name, accepting a photo Hinata reached out to give him. Only after a few minutes had passed did he snap his fingers as the memory came back to him.

"Ah yes, I believe he was a customer of mine a few weeks ago. He bought one of my larger ink canvases: Rhapsody. He was dressed in all black and shades if I recall correctly and he only lingered around for a few minutes to buy the item then leave." Sai described.

"This man doesn't happen to work for your father, does he Hinata?" Ino inquired, leaning over Sai's shoulder to get a good look at the man's photo as well.

Hinata nodded, scuffling at her tennis shoes. "Yes, and I know that by looking into the shadier sides of the people closest to him he'll realize that-"

"It will create problems for future business deals if it becomes a bit too public. Nice! That's quite the interesting way to get one's father to stop meddling in your life." Ino finished for her.

Sai handed the photo back to her, straightening up in his position. "I'm sorry; I don't feel I was as much help as I could've been just telling you that."

"Oh no, you helped us plenty by just giving us those small details alone. Anything is better than nothing." Hinata chided while Naruto nodded in agreement beside her.

Sai brightened slightly at their responses, pointing over to a statue in the corner. "Are you sure you two don't want something small done? Taking into account that I have an idea of your body proportions and sizes it wouldn't take me long."

"Yes, we're positive." They repeated in sequence.

Ino finished stirring the sugar into her coffee, sipping casually as she waited for Naruto to finally erupt and sputter out why Sai kept pushing the topic and alluding to knowing their body shapes. This time, she wouldn't tease Hinata over her continued avoidance of eye contact with her or with the implications hanging in the air as she watched the sugar dissolve and sink into her brew.

'They at least both know what they do and do not want in the bedroom.'

-X-

Naruto was only on his fourth bowl of ramen and he knew he hadn't eaten since last night, but for some reason his appetite had evaded him since this morning and it seemed like lunch would as well.

It was odd foreboding sensation and he shivered at the mix of the thought and the cold flurries that drifted by, swirling dead leaves and bits of dust by his shoes.

"Maybe your body is finally trying to tell you that all that salt and fatty stuff isn't good for you." Jiraiya suggested from beside him.

Naruto snorted, not sure why he was here in the first place. Wasn't it Secret Desires week or something at the club? The very same events were club patrons and those with VIP access cards could ask workers to fulfill dares or their wishes every night along with more for the right price?

'I thought he would be at the club 24/7 knowing that was going to be happening soon.' Naruto mused, eyeing him warily at the lopsided grin he continued to send him.

"What's wrong? Can't I spend time with one of my old pupils for old times' sake?" Jiraiya questioned with a fake pout at his glare.

Naruto rolled his eyes, slurping a bit of noodles into his mouth before speaking again. "No, I will NOT give you pictures of Hinata; stop trying to butter me up with your nonsense."

Jiraiya blinked, feigned bewilderment that he would even dare think such a thought before shrugging.

"Listen Naruto, I'm…going on a trip for a while. Scouting out new areas and doing some work where I can possibly open other Club 81's and similar stuff." He stated.

Naruto set his chopsticks down, biting back the churn of his stomach at his strange turn towards seriousness. "Oh, but you'll be back soon, right? I mean, I don't know who else has the same level of perversion and management skills to help keep the main club running."

Jiraiya shrugged, running a hand through his spiky hair indifferently. "I'll take that as a compliment. Anyways, my associates will handle things while I'm gone. So don't worry because I wouldn't want or create any changes to happen to best club you and your lady friend use!"

Naruto furrowed his brows, stomach knotting a bit more. "Is there a reason for me to worry?"

Jiraiya paused in speaking long enough for chills to run through him, leaving behind a prickly sensation that kept him stuck in place until he finished.

"No, of course not; I'm going to keep in contact with you and my business partners. I just don't want you to freak out when you don't see me around over the next couple of weeks!" Jiraiya laughed.

It was a biting laugh and Naruto willed himself to go along it for the sake of the situation, but it was getting harder to keep masking his feelings.

Especially when it was growing alarmingly apparent that the place he used to meet secretly with Hinata wasn't a secret anymore.

-X-

"Satoru Ueno…Satoru Ueno, I never did get the chance to ask Jiraiya or even anyone else if they knew about the guy." Naruto grumbled aloud, leaning his head back against the bark of one of the campus' many trees.

He still had around a little over an hour until his late afternoon class started and he figured this would be the only time he would have before his schoolwork piled up again forcing him to pause in tracking the man.

'If he assigned Neji to follow us, it must mean he's gone into the club by himself at some point. How much has he gone back to tell Hiashi then if he saw us together in there, was he part of the reason Jiraiya was acting so weird earlier?' Naruto considered; writing out his ideas until a shadow fell over him.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Hinata asked curiously from above him. She restrained a giggle at his brief shock at her appearance, tucking back her hair as she sat down beside him.

Naruto hesitated, peering down at his messy notes before back up at her. "Err, just trying to go over all we know about your father's advisor."

"Oh, if that was the case, I could've told you another tidbit I learned. As it turned out from Rika the 'waitress' a man fitting Mr. Ueno's descriptions liked to pay them occasional visits not that we know for sure, but it's a thought." Hinata explained.

Naruto took the news as if it was a breakthrough in their case though and she smiled when she managed to catch a glimpse at his notes, sloppy bullet points strung together and stick figure drawings she could only imagine were what Naruto thought her father's other advisors looked like.

Heat gathered at her cheeks the further her eyes trailed down the page, coming across her name in bold print with a caption underneath reading: All for Her.

"So, is it okay for you to be out here beside me, while we're still on campus, during daylight?' Naruto mused, emphasizing each point by leaning in close to her. Warm breath fanned her face, particularly to her lips and her eyes shut in anticipation until she opened them seconds later when she felt nothing. Naruto had gone back to his original position, but his face remained in her direction.

"Thought I was going to kiss you, huh?" He teased, smirking when she pouted and mouthed a soft yes in return.

He could've gone through it considering they were the only two around going by the sweeping check he had done. The day had only gotten colder the further it had gone by and most students were only braving the weather either to track to a class in another building or if they were heading somewhere off campus. Even the patches of sunlight slipping in through the clouds weren't enough compared to the occasional harsh winds that came and went.

Hinata scooted closer towards him for warmth and he nearly reconsidered his thoughts of not hiding them against the other side of the tree as the scent of her lavender and strawberry shampoo/ lotion overcame him.

"You know, I don't ever want to be a distraction to you, right?" Naruto grumbled.

"You're not…you've never been." Hinata murmured against his shoulder, pleased when she could practically feel him smile at relief while her head was still buried in his neck.

He squeezed her closer, dropping his notebook into the grass below to keep her fully in his arms. She responded in turn by shifting and following his lead, wrapping her own hands delicately around his neck.

"Have you already eaten lunch? If not, we can stop by the cafeteria before they stop serving and get something quick before you go to class." Hinata suggested softly.

Naruto shook his head, somewhat at ease despite how tense he felt. Too much incidences had been piling up and his mind had lately began to mock him with the new thought that Hiashi already had all he needed to separate them or worse, rid Hinata of her scholarship completely now.

He breathed in slowly, tightening his grip when his darker thoughts threatened to escape and make Hinata worry as well. 'That won't happen, I won't let it happen.'

"No, I just want to stay like this for a little longer."

-X-

"Haven't you heard you're on thin ice with Hiashi?! Keep whatever dirty business you do far out of the office or prying eyes! " Hoheto whispered harshly to Ueno. The pair had gone to the copier room to retrieve the prints that went over agendas for the week including recent updates to the company's stocks and budgets.

"N-No, but I'm sure he would have told me; I'll make sure to clear things up with him." Satoru stuttered back, slinking away from the man's scowl.

As soon as he had left the room though, a smile graced his features.

'Looks like everything Hiashi planned is going accordingly. His daughter is indeed tracking me just as he thought she would, confirming all of his suspicions of Club 81 and of their previous meetups.' He mused to himself, making sure to slowly walk back to his cubicle. What else had people been whispering behind his back about his reputation?

His mind replayed back Hiashi's warning to him only weeks ago when he found out the truth about his late night excursions and he straightening up his slouch, realizing even without his coworkers warnings just how lucky he was to even still be within the company's walls. He was relatively an outsider, not a distant member related to Hiashi in some way or form and he had to keep on his good side for the sake of his job over his pleasures.

No matter how sleazy his image had already been stained by them.

'I can look pass the gaudy artwork you collect in your spare time, but not these lucrative photos I had to buy of you on Club 81's website before one of our business partners saw it…tell me why I shouldn't have you escorted out this minute?'

He had panicked at the time and blurted out that he knew without a doubt that it was the very same club his daughter used to meet with her secret boyfriend.

It took obvious convincing, but his nephew had provided a good enough distraction for his daughter not to immediately look straight into him and even Tokuma and Kō had come along to validate his information.

His soda was flat by the time he returned back to his work area and he temporarily craved for one of Club 81's infamous cocktails that he hadn't had in weeks.

'It doesn't matter, all of that is going to become a distant memory soon enough…'

He fished out of his pocket the photo of Hinata Hiashi had given him, memorizing her face before digging it back down into his jacket.

The biannual meet and greet of the all the companies was coming up in only two weeks and he was sure it would be the time where he would not only meet Hinata in person, but Hiashi would make his announcement to her as well regarding his and her future plans.

He had been a pawn in his plans as well, silently helping him along to reach this very goal.

All that would be left for him to do now was to finish out his role as the poor sap when that moment arrived.

-X-

'My mailbox seems fuller than normal, I wonder if my mail got mixed up with my neighbors again or it's just more junk again.' Hinata pondered, pulling out a stack of mail from her box and heading up to her apartment.

Her head dully pounded from lack of sleep as she turned on her TV to check the news and sat her textbooks aside on the sofa.

She knew it was going to be difficult to work on her case against her father while still keeping up with her school duties, but the intensity of the effects it was doing on her body had begun to make her so weary she had even stopped picking up as many shifts for the extra income at the school's tutoring center.

"I guess I should go through my mail first before anything else just in case a new bill or something else came up." Hinata muttered to herself, setting each one aside as she read the main headings and a basic blurb of their contents.

She stopped when she came across a relatively small envelope amongst the pile, the Hyuga emblem stamp sealing the contents of the item.

'Why would father send me something by mail rather than tell me in person?' She questioned and her nerves spiked, inwardly chastising herself for how antsy her she was already getting to just open one letter.

The letter in question bore the Hyuga crest again at the top along with her name in decorative black ink: it was invitation his conference of all the corporations.

"You Ms. Hinata Hyuga are invited along with Mr. Naruto Uzumaki to…" She read aloud, halting to read again to make sure she was seeing things correctly.

Her phone abruptly buzzed and she dropped the letter in panic, calming when she saw it was Naruto's picture ID against the screen.

"H-Hey Naruto, what's going on? I thought your class didn't get out for another 30 minutes?" Hinata questioned, shaking off her jitters as best she could.

"Ah, he let us out of class early, but that's not important right now! Have you gotten back to your place and checked our mail yet? I got this strange envelope that looks like your family's symbol …" He trailed off, he had said it all in such a rush, but she had picked up on it all.

Her fingers numbly reached for the fallen letter, swallowing down the dread and familiar doubts on the brink of lacing her voice.

'Father knows everything! He's setting you up for some type embarrassment punishment in front of everyone to teach you a lesson to never go against his advice again. He'll take away your scholarship and make sure your affair with Naruto ends. Permanently.

She let the thoughts go became they became darkly harsher and critical, exposing her back to a side of vulnerability and weakness that she had already escaped from.

Naruto would be with her through this too. As always.

"Yes, I got the letter as well. It seems father wants me to invite you as my guest of honor…"

A/N: Happy New Year! Thank you Guests, Nagi, Maquina19, C.A.M.E.O.1 and only for all your responses and all the continued support readers! I think the story's plot will flow quite well as most people said in keeping it to just hints at the other couples only. It's always good to hear you guy's ideas and suggestions so feel free to hit me up and thanks for reading as always!


	11. Intoxicating

Chapter 11: Intoxicating

The first thing that snaps Naruto out of his thoughts is the sound of a drop hitting the ground. He paused, studying the stain where the droplet had fallen onto the tile below before realizing what it was.

It's his cold sweat.

"Naruto, are you still there?" Hinata questioned from the other end of the line.

"Ah, yeah I'm here." Naruto spoke up quickly, wiping away at the remaining perspire on his head. 'Damn it, I'm freaking out before she even finishes explaining things!'

"I didn't expect father to send a summons through the mail. This is the type of thing he would bring up to in person." Hinata remarked softly.

Naruto sighed, flipping the smooth material of the envelope between his fingers. "Hmm…it's not like we can say no."

There was a pause until Hinata found her voice again. "Of course not, he's extending the offer with the intention of truly settling things between all of us."

Though it wasn't like he hadn't already tried to finish things between them before; they both knew Hiashi already had all he needed to know of Naruto's history after all.

It was more so now the importance of exactly what he had to tell them directly that weighed heavily in the air.

"I'm ready to face him again, are you?" Naruto brought up pointedly and Hinata smiled, pressing her phone a bit closer to her ear to hear the vibrancy of his confidence relax and soothe her heartache.

If only such determination could pass through the phone to her as well.

She pictured her father's face, hardened and cold. The contours of his face along his eyes were dark, years of stress being the figurehead of the Hyuga companies having worn him out slightly. His gaze in her mind abruptly sharpened on hers and she restrained back a startled gasp, the image settling and disappearing just as quickly as it had formed.

"Yes, I'll be okay. We'll complete and organize all the information we have gathered by the end of this week so we're ready to face anything he throws at us." Hinata eventually stated.

Naruto replied in affirmation, sighing as they chatted over a few more lighter trivial matters before they hung up. He could hear the doubt in her voice at completing this goal and he languished over the fact he hadn't found the words to properly comfort her.

Or even himself for that matter.

He tossed aside his phone back into the recesses of the clutter amongst his bed, rubbing his head at the growing pressure he could feel forming behind his eyes. This conference was surely going to be a formal affair, the who's who of every top major company or business in Konoha would be in attendance.

One glance towards his closet allowed him to see a mixture of his shirts, jackets, and jeans either haphazardly laying across the ground or hanging loosely by the few hangers he had scattered amongst the pile.

He scratched a hand through his hair, turning away from the mess back towards his schoolwork to brush it off just as another thought rushed to him.

"Shit, what am I going to wear?!"

-X-

'Ugh, this tie and suit is so uncomfortable! Why couldn't they have at least made this gala thing semi-formal attire?' Naruto complained to himself, absentmindedly tugging his crimson tie out of place. He was lucky that Jiraiya had told him of places to rent out suits before he had sped out of town.

"Oh Naruto, stop doing that! It won't look right if you keep pulling and messing with it like that." Hinata gestured from beside him, reaching out to straighten it before he could open his mouth to object.

Naruto moved to grab her fingers just as she pulled away, grinning down at her dress. He might have felt out of place in his ensemble, but tonight Hinata perfectly looked the part as the presumed heiress to the Hyuga enterprises; her sleeveless lavender chiffon dress flowing elegantly down to the floor.

Hinata felt her cheeks growing hot under his stare. "N-Naruto?"

He only grinned in response, ignoring the stares of what seemed like hundreds of pissed off opalescent eyes of the Hyuga's on him. "Hey, how mad do you think everyone would get if I stole you away right now?"

His hands gingerly pressed along the curves of her breasts, trailing his fingers lower until he heard her soft whine. She stepped back slightly, but not before pressing a light kiss to his neck and whispering her response.

"I'd say enough that your manhood would end up in jeopardy." She teased, giggling at his flustering.

"So, are you really supposed to be the guest of honor, huh?" Sasuke asked, getting Naruto's attention. His presence caused most of the crowd watching to look away as well, but he still felt far from prepared to face the mix of executives, chairmen, and presidents still looming nearby.

'Not to mention that ass Ueno is somewhere within these groups too…'

Naruto scoffed, turning to look at Sasuke fully. "Yeah and what if I am?! What exactly are you doing here anyways; since when have you ever had any connections to or cared about the Hyuga's?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow before shrugging, taking a sip from the complimentary wine being passed about. "I was asked to come on behalf of the Uchiha firms in place of my parents to get to know the business world better and increase our associations."

Naruto withheld a snort; he would have better believed that if he was actually making an effort to talk to any of the representatives' close enough to hear all of this.

"And why is Sakura here?" Naruto motioned, watching as Sakura approached from behind, light green ball gown fluttering closely behind her.

Sakura scrunched up her nose, jade eyes narrowing at his tone. "Hmm and why can't I be here?! Directors and chief officers from some of the best hospitals and clinics in the region are present; building my network if even just by one person makes it worth the time and effort to not let a chance like this pass!"

'Or it gives Sasuke an excuse to not have to talk to anyone.' Naruto pondered; smirking at Sasuke's relatively flat expression until Sakura cracked a knuckle at his ignoring of her question.

"Ah, no reason I didn't mean it in a bad way!" He answered hastily to prevent her fury, looking to Hinata for support and frowning when he saw she hadn't even been looking in their direction.

He followed her line of sight, glower deepening at where her gaze was: Ueno and Hiashi smoothly brushing past the crowds straight towards them.

Not even minutes later were the two in front of them all, Hiashi nodded in Sasuke and Sakura's direction before facing Naruto and Hinata.

"I'm glad you two could make it; I've been looking forward to holding this event at these grounds and properly meeting you again Naruto. After all, this all is so you two no longer have to sneak around, right?" Hiashi exclaimed, reaching out a hand.

The pair flustered at how calm he declared such a statement, but Naruto inclined himself to accept the handshake; internally sneering at his fake smile. The curves of his stiff grin fell as soon as his eyes moved to Hinata's.

"Ah, you don't mind if I take Hinata away from you for a moment, do you Naruto? There's something I need to discuss with her in private." He stated.

'Why bother asking such a silly question knowing Naruto would have to agree? 'Though Hinata tightened her lips in silence to not make any remark.

Hiashi sighed under his breath, watching her give a fleeting glance between Naruto and him before scuffling over to him; he gently patted her shoulder and grimaced when he felt her immediately stiffen at the touch.

'Is she really that uncomfortable around me?' Hiashi considered, leading her away down the hall.

He kept his focus on making sure they didn't bump into anyone around them, not noticing the discreet whisper Hinata directed to Sakura no sooner than when they turned the corner and went out of sight.

Sasuke furrowed a brow at the action, glancing down at Sakura silently. She looked back at him just as curiously, smiling innocently at his silent questioning.

He eventually shook his head, turning away from her as her eyes lit up brightly. "Fine, do whatever you want; but don't let your dreamy naivety of helping Naruto and Hinata cloud your thoughts and get you caught by them. I'm looking the other way."

She giggled; reaching for his hands that he had already began to stuff into his grey suit pants. Sasuke pretended to pay her no mind as she brushed her fingers lightly against his calluses.

"Oh, I'll be right back; you're exaggerating! We have to help our friends out when situations like this arise; tell Naruto where to meet Hinata at so I can confirm it with her." Sakura whispered, letting his hands go to follow after father and daughter.

'Some things just aren't our business though, especially not family and romantic affairs…' Sasuke brooded, but he let her go nonetheless to be a friend.

And that would mean he would need to do the same for Naruto.

"Hey, meet Hinata in your secret spot or whatever after your done dealing with that guy." He grumbled as he brushed past his shoulder to get away from a potential scene happening.

Naruto shot him a confused look for a moment before his eyes went back on the path Hinata had gone in, only to be blocked in stepping forward by Ueno. His smile just as artificial as the one Hiashi had given him.

"Don't mind them; they won't be gone for long! In the meantime, you're free to enjoy the appetizers and mingle with the other guests." Ueno chimed.

He was being jovial and courteous to a certain degree, though it was only to keep up with a guise Hiashi had more than likely ordered him to do. The fakeness of his attitude and silent mockery grew more and more evident behind his piercing ashen eyes the longer he stared him down.

"Look, you don't need to keep up the act with me anymore. Neji has told me all about your little misadventures within Club 81's walls." Naruto stated bluntly.

"Huh?" Ueno questioned and his façade dropped while he leaned in interest closer.

Naruto chuckled, flashing the photos of him and notes he had taken involving him from within his coat pocket. "Surprised? Hiashi wouldn't be too happy to know that one of his top advisors is actually a sleazy pervert behind that pristine image you give off."

Satoru's breathing quickened and Naruto wasn't sure if his face began to dampen and redden either out of shame/embarrassment at being caught or in subdued rage.

Either way it was an interesting sight to behold.

"Y-You, can tell him about it if you want! It's not like things such as that matter to him anyways. He cared more about making sure Jiraiya didn't get in the way…" He sputtered out. 'And now to wait for his mind to meltdown at hearing that!'

"Jiraiya?" Naruto mumbled slowly. What did he have to do with any of this? His stomach began to churn with the familiar twinge he had felt days ago at Ichiraku's when he told him he was leaving with little to answers as to why.

Satoru simply smiled with a shrug and light chuckle, judging his puzzled expression. "Jiraiya was invited to attend this event tonight too you know, but I heard he left town in quite in a hurry to attend to other business. I wonder what he could have been avoiding so suddenly? Probably you-"He was cut off by a sharp jab to chest.

Ueno fell to the ground almost immediately like a shriveled ball, the screams, curses, and of course the panic as people hurriedly ran away from him rushed into Naruto's ears within seconds.

Naruto wanted to move too, but his legs kept him fixed in place from leaving the collapsed man's side. He waited instead to watch for the steady rise of the man's chest before his body finally gave him the energy to move again.

'It's déjà vu, like I was fighting Toneri again or another jerk that looked down on me or made fun of me…' Naruto chided himself.

He had always tried to keep any scuffles he got into out of Hinata's sight or just quit doing it altogether for the sake of not being what her family thought him to be. Whenever he did get provoked enough though, he always knew where the nearest shady alley corners were or used the grislier side of town where only gangs liked to venture to end his fights.

"Heh, guess my luck has run out now. If he was trying to set me up to get angry enough to react; it worked. Hinata…I'm sorry." He uttered quietly.

Still, his feet carried him forward, twisting and turning through the halls of the estate Hiashi was using for this very night until he was back outside.

He stopped for a second to think about where to go next, his mind drifting back to the words Sasuke had told him in passing.

It was a stretch, but his feet and his breathing stabilized to get moving again to prevent getting caught, taking him to the only place he knew where Hinata would find him.

The Meadows.

-X-

"Wait here for a moment, there's an item I need to retrieve from down the hall." Hiashi stated gruffly, keeping his tone even as possible to not sound as if it was an order.

Hinata simply nodded, resting against one of the many satin laced chairs aligned amongst the old room. He had taken her to one of the many laid out offices within the interior of the property; areas that had long since been abandoned once the Hyuga companies had gained enough money and power.

Dust illuminated by the moonlight seemed to stretch across the tables and old cabinets scattered about as she noted that the only reason her father still probably owned these grounds was for when he was holding an event such as this and required space the main household or his building's offices couldn't provide.

A scream abruptly resounded from far away, echoing loudly enough to down where they were. She sat up in alarm at the noise, footsteps quickening from around the corridors.

'What was that?!'

"Ah, I found what I was looking for; I'm sure you'll like it." Hiashi announced, interrupting her thoughts as he returned back to the room with a small case in tow.

He opened it to reveal a flower shaped brooch, lilac and pink pearls encrusted around the edges. Carefully, he pinned the item atop Hinata's dress before guiding her to the vanity mirror in the adjoining room.

"It used to be your mother's; I gave it to her as a present back in the days when I was courting her." Hiashi explained, pulling aside her hair for her to see it properly.

Hinata gradually stared down at the pin, brushing her fingers lightly along it and looked back up to give him a soft smile. "T-Thank you father, I appreciate the gift."

She wanted to say more though, to question him on why he was suddenly gifting her with presents out of the blue.

So she buckled down and ignored the warnings and fears stinging at her chest to dwell further for the truth.

"Father, why did you really invite Naruto and me here?"

Hiashi studied her disposition and smirked at her calm poise regarding the matter, but didn't move to answer. The commotion Hinata had heard from earlier had steadily risen and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kō run past the two of them.

"Oh, there you two are! Sir, we have a problem; you're 'guest of honor' has apparently knocked out Mr. Ueno!" He exclaimed rapidly.

Effortlessly, just like that from receiving such news did the brief warmth and attention Hiashi had been giving her crumble. In the mirror she could see his face gain back its familiar coldness she had seen time and again, revealing his true restrained anger falling apart from his ruse.

She looked away from her reflection as well; biting her lip at the hurt she knew would be upon her face.

"Where is he now? Block off all of the exits!" Hiashi snapped and Kō shook his head, describing their search of the premises for the blonde to no avail.

"Humph, you see this is why you shouldn't hang around him! He's not only brought you down in your studies and changed your behavior, but his delinquent ways haven't changed at all…and you seem to be the only one who can't see and accept that. " Hiashi shot out as he turned back to her.

A shiver raced down her back at the apathy lacing his words, but she moved to speak in advance of fleeing the room and his frustrating glare.

"Whatever you plan to do, it won't change anything between me and Naruto." She stated firmly, brash and open in her desires.

'Don't look back at him…don't look back at him.' She chanted; stepping as casually as she could to muster past them into the dim halls. The screams and panic from earlier had died down and she made her way towards the lights leading back to the main rooms.

"Psst, Hinata! Hold on!" A voice beckoned, breaking Hinata's stupor. Sakura smiled, stepping out of the shadows to greet her.

She studied her face for a moment before graciously walking forward to wipe at the stray tears slipping down her cheeks. "Oh, you shouldn't waste your tears on them; it's ruining your makeup too after all!"

Hinata laughed lightly at that, ignoring the twisting sensation and hot sensation warming her face at how stupid she felt.

So in the end, it appeared she was shaming and embarrassing the family all over again without even knowing the full circumstances yet of what all had gone on.

"Thank you, Sakura." She whispered, not trusting her voice to be scratchy and out of place if she said it any louder.

Sakura shook her head, emerald eyes growing sly to brighten the mood. "Well…I think you should know that Sasuke passed the message along to Naruto. I'm sure he's waiting for you at your original secret spot; before Club 81 even changed things up."

'He went back to the meadows? We haven't gone there since around high school.' Hinata wondered, did Naruto even remember where it was?

Her stomach fluttered though at the memory of the hidden away plains behind the Hyuga manor, of course he still knew where it was.

"It wouldn't be good to keep lingering around here; you know how impatient that idiot can get…especially when it comes to you." Sakura emphasized teasingly at her renewed blush, waving her off as she strode ahead to return to the party.

Hiashi meanwhile watched their conversation from afar, seeing Hinata turn to go out the back corridor. He stifled the faint urge to follow after her when he saw a small sparkle fall onto the pavement in her brisk movement, only moving to pick up the fallen object once he was sure she was far away enough away.

"Should we get one of the aids to follow her or will you go after her yourself?" Kō asked, approaching from behind him.

"Hinata and I have argued for many years over this topic, she's stubborn and adamant to stay by Naruto's side. I…I don't like fighting with her even if she doesn't see things from my perspective. She can run into his arms for now, my announcement will still go forth whether they are here or not to hear it." Hiashi affirmed.

'This is for the best, no matter how upset she gets at me; she'll focus and bring back up her grades from me doing this.'

Kō silently nodded, choosing to keep quiet at the somber mood. Business and family were always complicated topics to delve too far into.

Out of the corner of his eye though, he could see Hiashi's deepening frown and sigh while he buried the dropped brooch deep within his pocket.

-X-

"You're late." Naruto lightly joked.

"Did you think I would not show up?" Hinata asked back in jester.

He hid his weariness at how unsure he actually was of that, much more than he would've liked and his guilt taunted him at the gentle smile Hinata gave him as she stepped closer.

And a tiny part of him felt sick at himself that he was a bit too pleased that Hinata had seemingly picked him over her family.

Maybe he was a bad influence.

"It was hard to find you out here. We're lucky it's getting close to the full moon again." Hinata remarked, settling into his side.

Thick wild grass immediately brushed up against her face the moment she sat down, the scent of dew and pollen getting uncomfortably into her nose.

"Ah, lay back and it won't bug you as much." Naruto suggested, guiding them to sit back.

Over the few minutes that passed, neither said a word. The wind began to settle to create a small breeze, bits of grass and leaves swirling amongst them.

"Are you mad?" Naruto finally croaked out, willing himself to stare at her directly.

"No, well…I suppose yes and no, but why? Why did you let your anger overwhelm you this time?" Hinata pressed.

Naruto stiffened in unease, peering downward at his still bruised knuckles. "He talked crap about Jiraiya. I couldn't stand there without reacting and he knew I would; like it was all set up."

He wanted to elaborate further, wondering if it would even make any sense to jabber about his defense, but Hinata loudly sighed and shuddered while rolling towards him. "Are you okay?"

She nodded in response, moving her head towards the crook of his shoulder. The weather at night was chillier than she originally thought and thin sleekness of her dress provided zero warmth. "I-I'm fine, it's just a bit cold for me is all. How did you even stand waiting out here for me for so long?"

"You know a little cold never really bothered me! Remember how you always used to complain that I kept my heater or air conditioner off too much just to save money." Naruto snickered.

Hinata laughed alongside him, her body relaxing into his touch and relieved there weren't any prying eyes to watch.

Too bad her heart and mind refused to stop agonizing over the events from earlier.

"Are you really okay?" He asserted once more and Hinata forced herself to nod.

"It was just the things that father told me…at times he can be so kind and loving to me and then within seconds he finds me to be a disappointment and wretched and it's all because I'm with you. He spoke of mother and even gave me her old brooch, and then as soon as he heard what you did he switched back to his usual attitude…"

Her words grew jumbled and broken the more she thought back to Hiashi and of days past when he never pressured her this much until her throat grew dry, unable to think or say anymore.

Naruto rubbed her back soothingly to ease the tension. "You're not any of those cruel things he calls you; that's what he thinks of ME; not you."

She turned back to fully face him, warmth pooling in her chest at his simple comforting smile to keep her happy. He wrapped his arms tighter around the longer she kept his gaze.

"But, he can go on to ramble about all the shitty things I am; it won't matter because I love you and that's brought a joy to my life he can't ever take away." He mumbled lowly, his thumb brushed against her cold lips before he leaned forward.

"Naruto…" she breathed at his sincerity, but he moved to cut her off, parting her lips imploring to take all of him in.

He pushed her down into the thicket, looming on top of her as he deepened their kiss and pulled her closer.

She lifted her legs in response to wrap around his waist, rolling her hips against his while his fingers drifted to pull her dress down and tug away at his own attire.

"Naruto, is this…is this the best place to do this?" She moaned, feeling the stiffness of his shaft right up against her core.

"Hmm, probably not." He acknowledged, rolling one hand around her breasts while the other gently pried her legs apart.

He rose slightly off her, mischief bright in his eyes. "It may not be, but I don't want to wait to make you climax."

She gasped as he rubbed himself against her, unconsciously tugging at the blades of grass beneath them. And then he moved into her in a swift thrust and she strangled back the cry that leapt to her throat.

He grunted at her reaction, driving his thrusts and paces to go deeper and harder. "Don't hide it; I want to know that I'm pleasuring you."

"Mmh, so close…I'm-"Hinata groaned midway, feeling her walls closing and pulsing around him. He hissed at her release, gripping her hips tightly as he rode out her orgasm mixing with his own.

He lazily pulled out of her and kissed her forehead, paying no mind to the shared sweat and stickiness that came with doing the action.

"Heh, you're plenty warm now, huh?" He teased by her ear, nipping until he heard her light squeak and huff.

He figured she would redden and teasingly swat him away at the implication considering it wasn't the first time he had suggested they get intimate within the field. Her family never had any reason to go out in the fields behind their compound and they had exploited that fact for a good portion of their senior year in high school, going on to even use it for parts of their earlier college days.

"Do you think your old man is coming after us at this very moment?" Naruto inquired, feeling her shake her head into his chest.

They smelt of sex, grass, and sweat, but they were going to need to return back to the party and here what Hiashi had to say.

"Oh good, because if he was coming at least he didn't get the chance to interrupt us, get it?!" Naruto emphasized wittingly while Hinata flustered at his lewd joking before wobbly standing to retrieve her dress.

"Naruto…are you trying to make us stay out here longer?"She challenged gently when his hands moved to explore lower to her nether regions all over again. He chuckled at the question as he helped zip her up, holding onto her much longer than necessary.

"Yeah, perhaps?" Naruto answered back slowly, massaging at her breasts teasingly before adjusting her bra back into place.

"I'm sure they can handle waiting a few extra minutes for us, right?" He determined; tone casual and lighthearted even as he drew slow circles along her hips. She moaned as he slid a finger past her folds, growling at the mix of her pleasurable sighs and tight heat.

Thank goodness no one was close by to hear them.

-X-

Lust.

It was that very vice that Hiashi knew was one of the easiest sins to fall into.

The brooch within his pocket was giving him that ugly reminder, bouncing with every step he took back into the main foyer and he sighed, searching the crowds for violet hair before he prepared for his annual announcement.

Hinata really hadn't returned yet, which meant he could no longer keep stalling.

"How is Satoru doing by the way from your latest updates?" Hiashi grumbled, getting Kō's attention as he offhandedly greeted business partners.

"Ah, from the news I last obtained some of your attendants took him to the nearest hospital just to be checked out, but he did regain consciousness." Kō supplied.

He supposed that was a small relief that he wasn't critically injured, but Ueno had been too confident…too proud perhaps because he had let him in on his plans from the get go and hadn't fired him when he should have.

Whispers of Hinata's illicit affairs along with the future of the Hyuga companies were hushed by single glares, stiffening while he moved to approach the podium on the center stage.

'You're gossip will get plenty more uncomfortable if I let your ugly secrets come into the light.' Hiashi mused calmly, silencing all ongoing conversations with a rise of his hand.

"First of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming to our annual meeting of the businesses. I try at least to hold this event at least once or twice a year for all of the major corporations the Hyuga companies work with or have helped us along the way to reach the point we are at today." Hiashi explained.

A round of cheers and clapping rang out throughout the room until Hiashi continued on.

"Come on Hinata we're almost there; just a bit further!" Naruto prodded quietly, squeezing her hand in as he caught sight of coral pink hair in between swerves through the crowd.

Sasuke was the first to notice them, rolling his eyes at his bright grin. "Did you take the long route through the city dump or the sewers?"

Naruto gave him a proud middle finger salute in response, turning to Sakura who appeared stuck between disgust at their smell/crumpled clothes and amusement for what they had to have been doing. "Did we miss anything important?"

Sakura peeked behind him, smirking at Hinata's clear embarrassment to not want to be seen. It was good for once that Sasuke wanted to stay towards the back so they could all hopefully make an eventual quick exit.

"Nope, you're both right on time." She murmured, looking back to focus in on Hiashi's speech.

"As always, the Hyuga companies every year try to expand and learn about the latest upcoming businesses and what our shareholders are truly growing in. After going over the figures with members of my board, it came as quite a surprise to me that the sex industry is one of the top up and coming areas people are putting their money into and growing in within Konoha. Although, I'm sure that isn't a shock to some of you in this room…" He trailed off.

Scrutinizing looks and audible gulps rung throughout the room, but Hiashi took no notice of their fears as he caught sight of Hinata's recognizable dress near the shadows in the back. 'She did return with Naruto too; good I won't need to repeat it twice then.'

"I am not one to let business offers pass me up no matter how vulgar it may appear to some. After much discussion with my team and several meetings set up with the best nightclubs and bars in and around Konoha, I am proud to announce that I have become one of the co-owners of Club 81." Hiashi revealed.

Naruto and Hinata instantly grew numb.

~x~

A/N: So glad to have this chapter out, I didn't want it to take me so long, but a cold, studies, and random other stuff got in the way.

Big thanks to Roxie.88, WindyCitySlayer1, maxridelover, Nagi, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, Rose Tiger, lodol25, guest, and all my continued readers for your feedback and responses in the past chapters. It's truly appreciated and as always


	12. Burnout

Chapter 12: Burnout

"Why would you make that announcement in front of everyone?!" Hinata sputtered.

Hiashi's speech had long since been done hours ago, but the effects of his words lingered painfully and she began to grit her teeth at his flat expression.

Dawn would be approaching soon telling by the aurora of light orange and red hues rising against the horizon and neither of them had gotten any sleep after the chaos and cleanup of the convention.

Not that she would plan on letting any of that stop her.

"Are you embarrassed? I only did what I needed to do." Hiashi affirmed, turning around to face her momentarily before whirling again to head down to his quarters of the compound.

"What you needed to do?" Hinata repeated, stepping ahead of him to block his path. Opalescent eyes shined with ire, refusing to let him leave.

Hiashi scoffed at her stubborn behavior, a bit surprised that even a silent glare to move kept her fixed in place.

"It's one thing to want me to work harder and focus on my schoolwork; I can understand that, but this is not the way to go about it." Hinata stated.

Hiashi simply shrugged, increasing her frustration.

"Things wouldn't have had to come this if you weren't so hung up on affairs that should've long since died down or vanished completely." He remarked casually.

Hinata wracked her brain quickly for a response, anything to bite back at the malice of his tone and deliberately stun him into silence.

"Naruto and I have made love between those walls at Club 81. It's taboo to speak of, but everyone knows about it…including you." She spoke gingerly.

That had been enough to make him choke back on any comeback, the tips of his ears going red.

"I-I don't care what you've done there! It's not like my presence in and around the club has to stop you two from doing anything. You're still free to go there if you please." Hiashi mused.

Hinata clicked her tongue at that, causing Hiashi to raise a brow. "You don't understand father. We didn't use Club 81 for only that purpose alone, it's because you and the rest of the family can't approve of Naruto so we had to resort to sneaking around just to feel comfortable and even simply talk about regular things without getting dirty looks constantly!"

"Hinata, that's enough-"Kō started, but Hinata held up a hand to stop him.

"No, this isn't enough! I won't go on pretending anymore that what you say isn't purposefully hurtful and cruel nor will I go on letting you think this plan of yours was a good idea!" Hinata snapped, ignoring the gasps and whispers from the elders and maids huddled in the shadows of the manor watching the display go on.

Good, now everyone would see how callous and vindictive he could be.

'I don't know what he'll say, but I have to be ready for anything.' Hinata calmed herself, steadying her nerves and racing pulse for his response.

Moonlight briefly fell upon Hiashi's face, enough for Hinata to see the sternness and finality upon his features until he obscured them.

And then he smiled.

"You've become much more confident in yourself Hinata…I suppose that's one thing I can thank the Uzumaki for. As it stands though, you may continue on in your relationship with him, but it would mean you two won't be welcome here anymore; I can tolerate seeing it at that club, but not in my own home anymore." He finished.

'What?' 

"No father, that isn't fair! You can't give an ultimatum to Hinata like that! Why are you making her pick between her lover and family?!" Hanabi cried out from the crowds, pushing her way forward to the front.

"Uncle, I too think you're being a bit extreme on her as well. You already have become a co-holder with the club, going beyond that seems unnecessary." Neji muttered from his side.

The rest of his attendants and aides looked on quietly, hiding any emotions they felt by keeping a mask of indifference.

Hiashi brushed them all off, only eager to hear Hinata's response. He winced internally at the dullness that had clouded over her eyes in shock, tears slipping down her quickly paling cheeks.

Regret at his words shivered down his back.

'Hinata, my intentions are not to make you cry or suffer, only for you to focus on your higher priorities. Surely this last offer will-' 

"Fine." She croaked out, halting his thoughts.

The room fell to a hushed silence. Hiashi sucked in a gasp, watching in mixed horror and surprise as Hinata immediately swerved to leave, pushing past the gathered horde towards the foyer.

He caught her just as her fingers brushed against the main door handle.

"Hinata, aren't you going to think it through a bit more?! This isn't a decision to weigh lightly!" Hiashi pressed, keeping a tight hold of her arm.

She gave him a side glance, meeting his gaze slowly. His palms had grown sweaty and his grip grew firmer when she refused to answer, instead she turning back around to face the door once more.

"Let go. Now."

He paused; unsure if he had heard her right. She repeated the words again, stronger and laced with promising fury. In his disbelief, she slipped out of his arm and out the front door not a moment sooner.

It was only seconds later when he heard the questioning of fellow family members and his aides did he bitterly curse under his breath.

'Damn it, I let her go…'

Naruto's eyes grew wide in panic as Hinata stepped out of the compound, violet hair obscuring her face from his.

"What happened?! I knew it; I should've gone in there with you! What did those assholes have to say about me and you?" Naruto growled, but froze up when Hinata abruptly rushed into his arms.

He staggered back at the action, balancing them both. Looking up, he could see Hiashi watching them from the window, shifting between moving to come out and staying perched in his positing.

Flipping him the bird right there and then would've been so nice.

But as an alternative, he chose to squeeze Hinata in comfort closer, frowning at the remnants of tear stains upon her face. "Come on, let's go someplace quieter…and with more privacy."

They went a few ways down around corners and alleyways until they reached a vacant lot and Hinata tugged on his jacket to stop.

"Here is fine." She whispered, settling into the cold and sharpness of the pavement below. Naruto followed suit, reaching out to gently force her face to meet his.

"So, something big happened, right? You can tell me, just take your time." Naruto said tenderly.

Hinata nodded, clearing her throat as best she could to no avail. Her tears were swiftly coming back and she flustered in embarrassment that the words wouldn't come.

"Don't rush yourself Hinata!" Naruto urged, hugging her near again. She buried her face into his chest, choking back a sob as her voice briefly returned.

"I-I'm not welcomed anymore…" Hinata stuttered, breaking down into a mix of sniffles and cries.

Naruto probably didn't know what she meant, but her head began to pound from the mounting tension and frustration of it all. Hinata clenched her teeth at the pain, shutting out the world as everything went black.

-X-

'It's warm.'

Hinata lazily opened her eyes and shifted over in bed, sleep weighed her down to stay within the confines of the sheets and blankets wrapped around her.

'Wait, this is my room back at the apartment.' Hinata realized, stiffening at the brief recollections of the previous hours.

"Oh, you're awake! Good, I was worried for a moment I was going to have to leave you with just a note to tell you where I went." Naruto remarked, getting her attention.

Hinata smiled back, cringing slightly at the aching she still felt watching him get the cricks out his neck and arms. 'He was waiting for me to wake up all night; did he get any sleep?'

The action didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.

"Are you still in any pain? Do you want me to get you some medicine? Or maybe I can make a quick run to the pharmacy down the street." Naruto asked rapidly in succession, to which Hinata laughed and gently shook her head.

"I'm sorry I passed out on you, I didn't realize I was so overwhelmed with everything that that would happen." She squirmed, hesitant on how else to put it.

'Why hasn't he asked me yet about the incident?'

Naruto waved off her apologies, cerulean eyes warm and relaxed. He reached for her scratched up hands from their tumbling in the grass, grazing his lips against each finger carefully.

"I'm just glad you're feeling better." His mumbled into her palms, he moved his face back to look at her fully and grinned at the blush that had spread across her cheeks.

"Um what time is it right now?" Hinata questioned, noticing she could hear the sound of bustling cars and people in the streets below.

Naruto scratched his head, fishing for his phone within his pocket and unlocking it. "It's already getting close to 1:30 pm. I have a late afternoon class today and I'm going to stop by Sasuke's place for a bit so I'll have to get going, but I did make you some lunch!"

"Instant Ramen?" Hinata guessed.

Naruto chuckled at his predictableness. "No…okay yes, but I put some of the vegetables that were in your fridge in it, so technically it's not all 'instant'!"

He related to her how the rest of his day and week would be and Hinata's mind whirled as she took a glance over to her own calendar of events.

She hated to admit it, but her father had a point; she had gotten behind in her schoolwork and Naruto probably had as well.

'I have to get started on that Nutrition report that's going to be due soon and then there's that Biology group project coming up…how could I forget about all this?!' 

Berating herself could wait though, she trailed after Naruto to the door to kiss him goodbye, frowning at why he still hadn't brought up last night or the events of the past weekend.

She was sure Naruto hadn't forgotten about it, controlling any sadness or anger he wanted to show with his usual lopsided grins. She knew well enough though that could only mean he had probably moved on to plotting something.

"Are you planning something; please don't let it be something crazy that you can't handle." Hinata whispered against his lips.

"You know my craziest plans are the best plans. I have to find out where Jiraiya went; he's going to give me some answers whether he wants to or not!" Naruto replied back easily, ruffling her hair.

Jiraiya wasn't going to make that task as easy as he made it sound.

'His disappearance does leave many things unanswered, why would he even agree to father's proposal knowing our reasons prior to making such a deal?' 

Just as Naruto had said, a bowl of noodles waited for her by countertop once he left. Idly, Hinata took a few sips to test the warmth of the contents and paused, stepping back.

A surge of nausea came over her all at once and Hinata immediately clasped at her stomach, sprinting off to the bathroom before any food she recently ate came back to greet her all over the floor or table.

Hinata calmed her jittery hands as she flushed away at the bile. The ramen hadn't been that cold or even tasted any different from how Naruto usually made it.

So why did she get sick suddenly?

'It's just my stress; a lot has happened and it's just taking me awhile to adjust to all the changes.' Was her eventual conclusion.

Her phone was buzzing when she returned back to her bedroom, 2 Missed Calls from Sakura popped up on the screen. Not just Sakura though, a mix of calls and messages coming from Ino and Tenten as well.

Hinata scrolled to a random message from them, sighing as read its contents: Pick up your freaking phone! You and Naruto can't be doing the nasty that much for you to not stop and read this!

That one had to be from Ino.

'Oh, I feel another migraine coming on…'

-X-

"Hinata, I'm sorry to say this, but you look like death!" Ino cried out, poking at the bags underneath her eyes.

"Pig, can't you keep your rude thoughts or actions to yourself?!" Sakura hissed next to her, jabbing her with an elbow to stop.

"Well Forehead, excuse me if I don't want my friends walking around looking like a storm cloud is over them!" She snapped back.

Hinata had already reached the decision it was best not to tell them of her earlier puking episode, the last thing she needed to do was worry more people with her seemingly constant stream of problems. Having this quick meet up in between classes was supposed to be a way to distract herself from such things.

"Your father didn't end up taking your scholarship, did he? I overheard Neji mention in the past his threats of that." Tenten inquired next to her.

Hinata shook her head, underlining a page of notes their professor had emphasized to remember for an upcoming quiz. "No, he's moved on to bigger and better things to hinder me apparently…but anyways, it's good that you and Neji have worked things out huh?"

Tenten's cheeks heated into a pretty red hue, feigning interest at the matter. Hinata smiled lightly, glad for her obliviousness at the change of topic off of her as she went into detail over an outing the two had taken days ago.

Sakura and Ino had stopped their bickering and joined in to listen as well, except that Sakura seemed to be looking at her more intently than Tenten.

It was brief stare, nonetheless she had caught the concern in her expression, mouthing an "Are you okay?" to her while Ino and Tenten weren't looking.

She simply smiled back in return.

Because of course Sakura could tell something was off with her, having known her the longest out of their small group of friends. She was the one who had helped push Naruto out of his state of ignorance into understanding her feelings for him and encouraged/helped set up meeting spots back in the earlier days of their dating.

Her phone beeped faintly from within her pocket, and she tugged it out softly to read the text while trying to keep her attention on Tenten's story.

It was another message from her father.

'Hinata, the words I said to you the other night was out of anger and exhaustion after a long night. Please sincerely don't take those words to heart as you will always have a home here at the manor. It hurts not to hear you respond to any of my texts or calls.' Hinata read to herself.

His guilt tugged at her heart for a fleeting instant before she pictured his usual coldness. She went over the message around a dozen times before she could create a reply that felt satisfying enough to send.

"While I am thankful and accept that what you said was in haste and not definitive, the damage has already been done." 

When she looked back up she saw Tenten and Ino were already gone. Sakura remained though, green eyes sparkling with the same curious look she had given her only moments ago. Her stomach knotted with familiar remorse and ache; she hadn't meant to be rude. "U-Um, where did they go? I didn't mean to stop listening I-"

"It's okay Hinata, we know you're going through family and school issues; we wish you would share them with us though whenever you feel like it's a lot for you to handle though. Anyhow, they had to go though since they have afternoon English and Kinesiology respectively. " Sakura remarked.

Hinata reddened, twiddling her thumbs out of nervous habit. "That's right… well to be honest, I've been feeling a bit sick lately. Nothing too big though, but I threw up the lunch Naruto made for me today before he left; I think the stress of keeping our relationship secret, the family finding out, and all these other hurdles is finally wearing me out."

Sakura raised a brow, shifting her legs so her body was fully facing her. "For how long?"

Hinata blinked. "I-I don't know what you mean?"

"How long have you been having those symptoms? You know, the nausea, the vomiting, and the fatigue?" She specified.

Hinata shrugged, it wasn't as if she had been counting the days. "I think it started around early last week, it's recently been a bit harder to deal with is all."

Sakura became oddly quiet as she finished her explanation. Something about it all made her want to quickly switch to a happier topic until she abruptly spoke up.

"And you don't think you're pregnant?"

If it weren't for her hands being firmly on the table, Hinata was sure she would have fallen back.

"W-What?! Sakura, Naruto and I are always careful…err, well lately we haven't been, nevertheless I know it's just stress!" Hinata stammered, huffing at her growing blush.

Sakura giggled at reaction, holding her hands up in defense. "Whoa now, I wasn't accusing you or anything! I know you've told me in the past that you use birth control and Naruto always has spare condoms around his place, but both of those methods aren't 100% effective."

Hinata hugged her lilac jacket closer under her stare, the wind around them grew hauntingly chilly and she swallowed down another rise of nausea creeping up her throat.

She would love to have Naruto's kids. Only at another time and place when they were both more financially stable and mature enough to handle it all.

"I'm not pregnant, to even imply that is silly." Hinata affirmed. It was mean to say it that way, but being nice and passive hadn't been working well for her.

Sakura ignored her stinging reaction though, reaching out to calmly intertwine their hands. "Then stop by the clinic where I work during my shift hours. I can run tests on your blood and urine to confirm it. Otherwise, I'm worried you're going to get potentially sicker and not get proper help; please?"

Hinata bit her lip at her sincerity, eventually squeezing them back in return. An event like this was something she had always imagined she would be doing with Naruto next to her to hear it.

But she would just have to get the surely negative results on her own.

"Alright, I'll stop by after my human health and development class is over."

-X-

"Oh come on Sasuke, what do you honestly have better to do with your time?!" Naruto griped out, flicking his shoulder once more until he turned around to face him.

"Finding Jiraiya is your own personal problem; not mine. Just pick up a phone and call him or something." Sasuke grumbled, focusing back on a data analysis assignment on his laptop.

'Doesn't he think I've already tried that?' Naruto wondered, plopping back down on Sasuke's couch when he found none of his other tactics to distract him were working.

Around an hour or so passed before Sasuke moved to check and see what Naruto was doing so quietly. He found him startlingly buried within his own projects and assignments, switching between typing away at his laptop and scribbling in the array of textbooks surrounding him.

"Maybe you should take a break?" Sasuke offered, noting the beginnings of strains underneath his tiring eyes.

Naruto yawned, silently agreeing as he stood up and made a beeline for the kitchen. He grunted as he took a gander at the fridge's contents. "Geez Sasuke, don't you have anything to drink in here besides just water and milk?"

"Sakura insists we try and eat and drink as healthily as possible…unlike some people." He smirked, reaching past him for one of the water bottles in the back.

Naruto paid no mind to his stupid comment, grabbing a bottle as well. His fingers grew slightly numb at the coolness of the bottle as he took a sip, small stray droplets slipping down into his hand.

"Where do you think Jiraiya even is?" Sasuke brought up.

Naruto restrained back the urge to smile, perhaps Sasuke was more interested than he had let on. "I've gotten leads that he may have gone to Suna."

His eyes narrowed at that, brushing a hand through the edges of his hair. "Suna isn't exactly down the street you know."

"I know where Suna is Sasuke, but I can't let this opportunity to catch him and get some answers pass me up before he decides to move on to another city. I know he wouldn't go and give up part of his ownership of Club 81 without a good reason." Naruto retorted.

Jiraiya, in spite of his perverted antics, was family to him.

"You're only going on a tip, not even reliable enough proof that he's there. I know you're pissed that Hiashi took part ownership of the club, but it's way too late now to change that and finding Jiraiya isn't going to do anything about it." Sasuke reiterated.

A flash of ire swirled briefly in Naruto's eyes dared him to say another rude quip like that; to wear the rest of his patience thin.

He sighed, leaning back against his countertop. "I know what you want me to do, pull some strings within the Uchiha corporations to persuade my higher ups to conduct in more business deals with the Hyuga companies to get their focus away from the club, right? The process to do that is more complicated and complex then just proposing it to the board."

Naruto scoffed, tone gaining increasing mocking. "Oh, really? That sounds like a bullshit answer if you ask me. I didn't take you to be the lazy type like Shikamaru; if I recall correctly, aren't you the one who wanted to take over as successor to the company and not remain in the shadow of your older brother that your family seems to praise so much?"

It was the perfect grisly reminder.

"The Uchiha's are the closest competitors the Hyuga's have. If we could at least find out why Jiraiya did what he did, then it's possible another deal can be created. Besides, I can't…I can't sit here knowing in the back of my mind he could have been in financial trouble or something." Naruto went on.

Though on the other hand, he knew Jiraiya probably simply didn't want him worrying about him. 'That idiot thought wrong.' He mused.

"It takes a few days to get to Suna. What about your schoolwork and Hinata...for example the fact that you'll be late for your class if you don't leave here soon?" Sasuke said after a while.

Naruto brightened, a smile curling onto his face. "I've already taken care of the schoolwork issue by doing the next two weeks of assignments ahead of time and letting my teachers know what I was doing…not that most of them even give a damn anyways as long as I turn in my stuff! Hinata on the other hand I'll meet her outside her class once it's over."

Sasuke scowled at his abrupt change in mood, crushing his now empty bottle. "So you were going to do this whether I said agreed to it or not, huh?"

"Hmm, yeah pretty much!"

-X-

Naruto had gotten used to by now the odd looks he received entering into the Health and Science building of the campus. He didn't even have any classes in the nearby vicinity and most students or teachers assumed he was only loitering around to commit some prank or stir up trouble.

'Whatever, they can think what they want to think. I'm not here for them anyways.' He regarded to himself, walking through the empty halls until he approached lecture hall 3.

He peeked his head by the window, searching for Hinata and beamed at her usual position in the first row of the class.

"She looks sleepier than usual…" He mumbled, watching as she carefully brushed a strand of violet hair away from her face. Pearl eyes drifted open and close every few seconds while she looked between her notes and the professor's discussion of developmental theorists on the board.

The sound of students shifting to grab their belongings made Naruto stand back from the door, the droning sound of the teacher prompting them to turn in their reports by his desk as they left out.

"Oi Hinata, wait up!" He beckoned loudly, seeing her about to fall into the stream of students leaving.

She flustered at the whispers and odd looks that came with his announcement, but swerved backwards into the crowd to greet him.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned softly, he responded in turn by guiding them further down the hall away from the noise.

"I had to tell you the update in my plans for the next coming days!" Naruto explained eagerly when it was just them alone in the hall, but Hinata only smiled cautiously in wait.

"So…I'm going to go to Suna for a few days based on a tip I heard that Jiraiya was there, but don't worry! Sasuke agreed to come with me to. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't pass up on a lead, whether it's true or not. I'll be leaving out tomorrow around the evening hours." He stated.

'How did he ever get him agree to that? Though it's good he might've found him, I know how much Jiraiya means to him even if he hardly ever admits it.' Hinata considered, eventually nodding in understanding. She softly bit at her lip from taking a glance at a clock in the corner of her eye.

Sakura would be expecting her soon.

"Hinata, are you sure you're feeling better? You look paler than normal." Naruto asked, venturing to press a hand against her cheek.

Even with the sunlight hitting them from the side, she still felt cold.

"I-I'm alright, well I am going to stop by the clinic where Sakura works. You know, just to get a physical and checkup. I'm sure she can suggest some cold medications or something, but I think I'm tired from catching up on school and work." Hinata mentioned.

'And from father constantly trying to make up to me plus the ideas Sakura put into my head. I should tell him before he goes; what father tried to do…'

"Naruto, I didn't tell you the other night, but father threatened to-"Hinata paused when she felt his grasp subconsciously grow tighter.

If she told him he had threatened to not allow her to visit the family home again, knowing how important family was to him, how would he react?

Her chest tightened at the thought.

"I didn't want to push you over a difficult topic to tell me about, but what is he trying to do now?" He growled.

She shifted slightly, going with the first lie that popped into her head. "…He threatened to make a lot of changes to Club 81, but I'm not sure what."

"Great, so he's not only going to cause problems for us, he's going to annoy people that never even bothered him and just used it as a place to relax." Naruto stated.

Hinata slowly nodded her head, not wanting to say another word else he'd catch her fib. She didn't want to sound like she defended her father if he did make any changes to the club's not so secret other method of business, but Club 81 had never been known for bringing out the best in people's intentions as only wanting to 'relax' as he said.

She reddened further when Naruto moved to press their heads lightly together. "Ah anyways, so you've been taking up extra hours at the lab again; haven't you? I'm been doing a lot of odd jobs too to save up, once we get our degrees, stresses like these shouldn't hopefully bother us as much. "

Hinata hummed her agreement, wiggling at her toes from within her shoes to not let her body react to his touch this time or she would surely be late for Sakura. Her breasts did feel a tad too sore when he a rubbed a thumb against the side, but she chalked that up to having chosen a tighter bra to wear for the day.

"Hey Hinata, we should fool around and kiss while no one's here as parting gift before I head off tomorrow! It's been practically days and I know where all the best closets are~!" Naruto teased in a singsong voice, adding a low purr to it.

Only Naruto could go from talking about their future plans to semi-jokingly suggesting nearby closets to make out in.

"We kissed before you left my apartment earlier this morning, remember? Hinata countered, but stammered out the second part.

"Hmm, what was that?" Naruto asked with a taunting grin, drifting his fingers idly across her darkening face.

Hinata huffed, reaching up her own hands to pinch his fingers away. "Y-You heard me, I said yes!"

Naruto smirked, not bothering to hide his desire as he pulled her close. "Great, because I sorely, sorely, want to kiss you all over again."

-X-

"This one is negative as well. I don't think there's anything for me or you to worry about." Hinata stated, holding up and pointing to the single pink line across the pregnancy test strip.

Sakura put on some gloves before accepting the strip, carefully looking it over and then the home kit from which the strips came.

"The results might not be reliable, according to the label on the back of this box the strips expired a few days ago." Sakura pointed out, frowning at the annoyed look she got in response.

"I'm not saying you are pregnant, it's just the symptoms you have. Your blood pressure and temperature were slightly above average, but that could be just due to stress like you said. It's up to you if you want to get your urine and blood drawn to get a more accurate answer."

Hinata writhed, but eventually nodded and Sakura moved to prepare the materials. She dropped her professional manner at the fear that was probably in her eyes.

"Considering like you said you're not even late on your period, it might just be me overthinking things. You just look so overwhelmed and when you described your symptoms my first thought was to jump to well…" Sakura trailed off.

Hinata shook her head, lifting up her arm as she put on the tourniquet. "No, I understand and I'm glad you cared enough to ask. Naruto and I haven't really thought about protection or risks when we started doing all this."

The first few times she remembered they were so flustered, nervous, and careful. Unsure about where to touch and where the other got the most pleasure.

Somewhere along the way, those worries had just gotten less and less concerning.

Sakura giggled, unable to contain a wicked grin from forming. "I'm sure condoms didn't cross your mind while tumbling in that meadow, did it?"

Hinata would have playfully shoved her if it weren't for a fact a needle was going into the middle of her arm.

"If Tsunade comes by to help, we can work through the rest of our client's labs much quicker. Though it really should only take about a day for the results to be processed, so just stop by again tomorrow when you get the free time." Sakura explained, putting pressure on the bleeding before covering it with a Band-Aid.

"And pregnant or not…I, everyone else, and Naruto will be there for you." Sakura finished, removing her gloves and helping her off the examination table.

Hinata barely managed a short nod, waiting for the wave of dizziness to fade before she could stand properly without gripping onto her hands.

And so, the 24 hour mental strain begins.

'I'm sure my results are normal, I shouldn't be feeling this uneasy.' Hinata reiterated to herself, even though it was doing nothing to quell the anxious thudding of her heart.

Hence, all Hinata did when she returned back to the clinic was swiftly get her sealed results and then head for home, not once meeting Sakura's eyes to guess if she even knew or not.

It was approaching the early hours of the night once she reached the main entry of her apartment, fading mixes of fuchsia and red streaks across the sky were quickly disappearing into the darkness of the night approaching.

"Naruto has probably already headed out with Sasuke by now." Hinata mumbled, smiling slightly at the idea of the two annoying each other until she saw him.

Hiashi sitting on the footsteps outside the building.

There was no way she could merely walk past him, there was still enough light out that most anyone would recognize her, especially at such a close range.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Hinata called out and he straightaway perked up at the sound of her voice.

"I've…I've been waiting for you to come home. I believe apologizing in person would be better. Why are you coming home later than normal; I thought your schedule on Wednesdays had your last class end at 3:30 and it's approaching 7 now." Hiashi remarked.

She tensed at his prying, mentally wanting to bury the unopened envelope of her discretions deeper within her purse.

"I've spent extra hours working ahead in my schoolwork to be prepared for upcoming finals and projects for the semester along with spending a bit of my time in the lab. Mainly busing myself with all I needed to catch up on." Hinata explained.

It wasn't a complete lie, she just made sure to exclude the bouts of queasiness as of late and the clinic visit.

Hiashi frowned, stepping forward to regard her carefully. She slinked back at his closeness, grimacing at his silent gaze.

"I know I said to focus more on your coursework and lessons, but you don't need to overdo it. Please Hinata, I'm trying to reach out to you now genuinely…I've always thought first for what would be best for you, Hanabi, and even Neji. I didn't raise you to act this way; to be so passive aggressive and snubbing of your elders." Hiashi eventually said.

"Would you relinquish your ownership of Club 81 then?" Hinata abruptly asked.

Hiashi crossed his arms, stare becoming withering. "What does that have to do with anything?"

A deep sigh rumbled from Hinata's chest, he hadn't changed yet and maybe she should stop hoping he would.

"Everything Father, but...never mind."

-X-

'How dare he?! How dare he think his empty apologies would suddenly make things all better and us all close again, knowing that he's caused a majority of the problems in the first place?!' 

She sprinted up the stairs to her room and locked her door before Hiashi could try and follow, berating the tears falling down in the process and her breathy gasps.

Because she was crying all over again due to him and he still probably didn't know or understand why.

Hinata threw her purse across the room while hurtling herself into the comforting scent of her bedspread. She reached for Naruto's old jacket from years ago that she wore often on colder nights and quickly fumbled it on.

For a while, she was able to block out the ticking of her clock and her snivels and just be reminded of Naruto's warmth.

Until her phone ringing brought her back to reality.

"I swear if it's father-"Hinata grumbled, relaxing slightly when she saw instead Naruto's name flash across the screen along with his familiar ringtone.

"Hey Hinata, sorry I meant to call you earlier! Sasuke and I backtracked to eat dinner at this nice Chinese buffet place; it's really good…well not as good as Ichiraku's but it's up there. I'll try and take you here someday! Yeah, yeah shut up Sasuke; hold on! Oh so, it will still take us about a day or two more depending on how fast we move, but we loaded the car up on gas and we're staying at a relatively good motel for tonight." Naruto rambled.

Hinata could already feel herself brightened just listening to Naruto jabber on about his 'adventure.' At times, he would pause to yell something again to Sasuke and then end up repeating himself all over again. It was silly and just like him, cheerful banter helping her to unwind.

"What did Sakura say by the way; is it just a cold or flu? Hmm, maybe I can get some tonics or something for you along with some souvenirs…" Naruto mused aloud.

Hinata again felt her gut lurch and she gripped it in concern. "Ah, you don't need to do that! Enjoy the journey and find Jiraiya; that's your main goal. Sakura gave me and suggested medicines and food I can take anyways."

She could practically see his pout from saying that and she giggled.

"Are you sure? Man, I wish I was laying down next to you right now…I know how to really make you feel better." Naruto emphasized and she pictured his cheesy grin and intent.

"I do too…" Hinata trailed off, glancing back up to her tossed purse in the corner. This unknowing could make her more stressed out, but it would only be for a couple of more days until he came back.

And everything would be fine then…it had to be.

"Naruto, I might be-"She whispered, recoiling when the last word wouldn't come out.

"Yeah?" Naruto hummed, great she made him curious.

She had to retract, she didn't want to tell him like this over the phone, and definitely not when they both had too much other things to worry about at the moment.

It would be unfair.

So instead she said it could wait and she could hear his disappointment that she wouldn't go through with telling him right here and now along with lighthearted whining that he was impatient.

Hinata almost wanted to say it and his continued asking, but this was for the best. She stared between her purse and her belly for a long moment before she let out a defeated groan.

She had to accept the fact that they had possibly created a lovely mistake too soon.

A/N: Whew, I thought this chapter would take me longer considering I expanded more than I thought I would! Do we still hate Hiashi or has that hate lessened even just the tiniest bit? Lol.

Big Thanks and shout outs to Guests 1 and 2, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, Rose Tiger, lala1224, and Roxie.88 for your feedback and all my readers for taking time out to check out the story. I truly appreciate


	13. Heartbeat

Chapter 13: Heartbeat

The temperature difference between Konoha and Suna was starting to get to him.

Naruto pushed back his covers, grimacing at the sweat that slid along his legs and arms in the process. They were closer now in distance to Suna than Konoha and he was hating the effects of being too unprepared for abrupt traveling to a place with much warmer winters compared to his hometown.

And for the loneliness that came with it…

True Sasuke was with him, but he didn't even want to come in the first place. It was only by guilt-tripping and much persuasion he agreed to this all and he knew he would hang it over his head for a while if this plan ended up being a bust.

'Hinata might be sicker than she's making it sound too.' Naruto gathered. There was something in her tone this time that sounded so feeble and so nervous that it was making him antsy as well.

But he would have to let that distraction go, at least until they were face to face as she wanted.

Eventually, he settled on pulling only one of the covers over himself and tried to still his racing ideas to get back to sleep. The night went on to repeat his same dreams over and over again of himself and Hinata back in her room.

Hinata would give a shyer than normal smile each time, lips pursed while her face heated under his continued stare. He'd follow her stare to the envelope clutched within her trembling hands, but paused when he would reach for it and hastily shift it out of view behind her back.

"No! You can't…you can't look at it just yet!" Hinata would assert, scooting back from him up until her back hit the wall and he blocked her escape.

"Why not? It's important, right?" Naruto found himself asking over and she would persistently fumble on a reply to that, flustering with her gaze softening as she finally managed to look at him completely to speak.

"Naruto…it's not easy to say it, but I might be-"And then just like clockwork, she hesitated to finish her sentence. Opting instead to mouth out the last word as he would drift awake again.

'Damn it, I never did get to hear the final thing she's going to say!'

He wanted to yell at himself for be roused to consciousness once more, having already gone through this same dream at least twice or so now, but Hinata never gave him a proper answer during any of those stints either.

KNOCK KNOCK! 

"Naruto, get up already or I'll leave you behind." He could here Sasuke warn from outside his door.

'5 more minutes; I just want 5 more minutes to see if I can get Hinata to say it clearly…' He waited a moment to see if he would hopefully pick up on Sasuke's footsteps go to wait for him in the lobby or something and sighed at the louder banging and cursing that came with doing that.

Well, at least it was nice thought to imagine him having patience.

Naruto finally peeked one eye open, fuzzily taking in the relative darkness surrounding the room. He glanced over to the curtains and saw light from the streetlights pouring in around the edges, but nothing else that could resemble sunlight. How early had he woke him up?

He halfheartedly switched on the desk lamp to see better and reached for his lazily strewn jeans and shirt hanging off the edge of the bed.

'Shit, did I get enough sleep last night?' Naruto questioned himself in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes stared back at him; taunting his exhaustion and lack of answers over the past days from Jiraiya…and now Hinata to boot.

He chuckled tiredly, burying the self-loathing as he gathered his belongings and shut back off all the lights.

Whatever secrets they had wouldn't be so for very long.

"Do you always take this long in the morning? I thought you of all people would be in a hurry to get a move on." Sasuke grumbled as he leaned away from the wall.

Naruto just waved him off his complaining, he could feel a grin inching onto his face even with how sluggish he felt.

"Yeah well, I thought you of all people would fucking remember that I used my car so…I can leave you behind and not the other way around." He emphasized, snarky and derisiveness veiling his reminder of his earlier comment.

Sasuke was either too tired to make some asinine remark back for that or the other (not likely) option he knew he was right and wouldn't say so out loud.

They made the rest of the trip to Suna in silence. The further they drove out onto the twists and turns of the highway, the more arid the landscape became. Bouts of dust and wind blocked out the sun and Naruto worried for a moment they were driving in circles until he saw the border patrol gate.

"Let's get breakfast before we do anything else." Sasuke stated, pointing out a convenience store he could park by.

Naruto studied the small market from the outside, lingering at the entrance while Sasuke went ahead. His stomach gurgled in hunger and he quickly clasped it to avoid looks of other customers nearby. He was used to having to shop at select stores just to avoid dirty stares or possible unfair pricing.

But then again this was Suna, not Konoha and the everyday person wouldn't know about him or his ugly past.

Naruto paced the aisles gingerly, almost picking up the instant ramen in the quick meals section, thus purposely ignoring Sasuke's obvious suggestions to more breakfast related foods on the opposite end.

Spiky brown hair came into view as he turned to go into the next aisle and he paused, recognizing the familiar drawl of the man.

"Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, gaining the man's attention and his usual bored expression seemingly got deeper at the bright grin Naruto gave back.

"Isn't that-?" Temari spoke up inquiring from next to him, peering over his shoulder to get a good look at him. Naruto simply nodded in her direction to confirm whatever probable suspicions she had.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Shikamaru muttered. Naruto he was sure was going to jump to some horrible conclusion now as he glanced between them or draw him into something, the mischief swirling in his cobalt eyes.

It was bad enough Temari woke him up early to get a head start on errands she wanted done and now this?

Naruto's grin diverged into a smirk, continuing to glance between the two of them slowly. "Heh, funny why I could ask you the very same thing."

-X-

"Hanabi, what are you doing here?" Hinata repeated, she hated when her sister played games with her like this.

Especially considering the circumstances she was going through right now.

"What? Is it so wrong of me to want to visit my big sister?!" Hanabi teased, firmly snuggling into her as the two laid sprawled out on her couch after finishing having brunch together.

She had no classes for the day, a lucky break from all the stresses her job and schoolwork had been putting on her. The one course she usually had today had the professor out of town on a business trip and left her with free time to try and get some relaxation in.

"Are you sure you weren't sent here by father to get answers out of me?" Hinata pried on, feeling a wave of guilt at the pout she sent her in return for assuming that.

She hadn't meant to sound so untrusting of her, to give her the idea that she stoop so low as to be his spy or worse.

"We haven't talked lately Hinata, you've been so busy running around with one thing or another. I heard rumors around the compound that you even told father of all people to stop bugging you. I wish I had been there to capture such a groundbreaking event!" She mused.

Hinata laughed, reddening lightly as she remembered why she had been so uneasy over his arrival in the first place.

Hanabi shifted away from her slowly, reaching for the remote and muting the television. Hinata sent her an odd look, watching as she coiled the spare blankets she had put out around herself.

"I…I've been wondering this for a while, but what was it like?" She asked. Her voice had taken a sharp drop in pitch and she squirmed when she knew her cheeks had gathered a pinkish tinge.

Hinata hummed thoughtfully. "What was what like?"

Hanabi pouted, believing for a moment Hinata was mocking her. "Don't play dumb! What was your first time with Naruto like?!"

That got her full attention.

"Hanabi, you and Toneri never…" She trailed off at the rise of queasiness that came with simply bringing his name up. He was a twisted memory of the past, but he was also Hanabi's first actual boyfriend.

And perhaps the first in not just that as well.

"No!" She hissed out and she scowled at Hinata's brief sigh of relief. "I mean, we danced around that subject, but he was always too hung up on you; not me."

Hinata twirled at a strand of hair to avoid her stare. Why was she suddenly asking this? She couldn't already have a boyfriend so soon again she hoped.

But Hanabi was clearly intent on not dropping the topic from her continued staring.

"So, what's it like, tell me! Does it really hurt like people say it does? Or is more pleasure than pain? Is it true you always bleed on the first time?" Hanabi reiterated through a flood of questions.

"Hanabi, why are you so interested in sex all of a sudden and your virginity? You know the possible repercussions, don't you?" Hinata instead asked.

For a second, her mind veered back to the sealed envelope of her results buried underneath her textbooks at the mention.

"Stop, you always do this and try to change the topic thinking I'm too young! I'm soon to be an adult as well so of course I'm curious about these things! You're the expert after all; I can't ask the attendants back at home about this. It's been bugging me I don't know much with how often my friends keep bringing it up!" Hanabi snapped, tone growing anxious.

Hinata reddened at the offhand compliment, curiosity rising at the wide-eyed look shining in her sister's persistent scrutiny. Romanticized views would probably be crushed if she told her how awkward and uncomfortable things truly had been.

But honesty was best in this case.

So she recalled the night again back to the forefront of her memories, back to during the rainy season close to the end of the summer before they started their junior year of high school.

Raindrops pummeled against the worn building of Konoha's theater as they left out of the last showing of some comedic action flick they were the last in their group of friends to see. Hinata smiled, breathing in the scent of fallen rain on the grass and cement below.

Meanwhile, Naruto scuffled and cursed with the burnt orange umbrella he had refused to throw away. Even when a small gust of wind sent it turning inside out along the walk home.

"Geez, it's really coming down." Naruto grunted, wincing at a flash of lightning that strung along the sky.

She wasn't supposed to be out much less spending time with him she remembered, reminiscing on another lie she told her father and Neji that she would be at Sakura's for a bit and might end up staying the night if the weather didn't improve. Whenever they asked where she was going to be, she merely rotated the name to another girl out of her friends.

"If you want…you can stay at my place until the rain stops. I think your old man would understand you not wanting to walk out in this type of weather from 'Sakura's'." Naruto suggested, his voice had wavered throughout saying it and she was sure she saw the beginnings of a blush across his face in between another flash of lightning on the way there.

The lighthearted teasing of their friends of what happened in scenarios like this must've came to mind.

"I'll stay until the rain stops." She echoed back, settling into his spare clothes out of her damp ones when he offered them.

So, they went on to spend the rest of night playing a mix of card games, eating snacks, and watching any late night movies or shows they found interesting.

And all the while Hinata could still clearly recall the whistle of the wind and falling rain against his windows nearby that the weather would not let up any time soon.

Naruto at some point had wrapped them closely around each other in one of his warmest blankets and her breath hitched when saw his eyes had moved from focusing on his television to her.

Specifically her lips.

Hinata fidgeted at telling Hanabi the next scenes that played out in her mind, picturing Naruto's roguish confident grin above her begin to slip when he softly confessed he had no idea what to do and no amount of advice from friends or magazines had helped.

Good because she definitely didn't either.

"Um, do you want me to turn out the lights or maybe…?" Naruto started, squirming and Hinata even now could giggle at their shared nervousness to even remove the rest of their clothes.

"N-No! I mean, I want to see you and for you to see me." She said as confidently as she could say at the time.

He caressed and took her then no sooner after that, adrenaline rising with every feverish kiss and touch. The ache and lust in his eyes was prominent all the more so the following morning as she realized this wouldn't be the last time she snuck out to do this.

It couldn't be, not when they were both this still aroused from just one look.

Hanabi's cheeks were noticeably more reddened as she finished and Hinata shifted to stretch out her numbing legs.

"I'm sure that answered all your concerns, right?" Hinata moved to ask and Hanabi straightened up with a rapid nod.

"I have to ask one last thing though, father mentioned you looked pale and said it was due to stress. Is it really because of that or another reason…like pregnancy?" Hanabi asked, straight to the point.

She sometimes wished her sister wasn't so perceptive.

Hinata faintly beamed at the worry her sister was trying so very hard to suppress, trying to keep an air of maturity and calmness over the matter when she herself almost wanted to fall apart and cry at the fears she was having.

"I really don't know yet, I think I'm not but I'm waiting for Naruto to get back from Suna so that we can look at it together." Hinata eventually mustered out.

Hanabi gave out an unladylike snort, rising off the couch to give her an indignant look. "What?! Where are these results; you can't wait on something important like this! Either that or call Naruto and he'll come back here in a snap for you!"

"I know. I know." Hinata murmured, tuning out her griping.

Everything she said was true and it hurt to face it; the truth too unbearable for now.

-X-

"You're looking for Jiraiya? Wasn't he your old mentor or something along those lines?" Shikamaru asked dryly.

Naruto fervently nodded, bits of the egg white sandwich Sasuke persuaded him to buy flying all over with the action. "Have you seen him?!"

"Nope, I've only been here for a little over two days." Shikamaru mused. 'He came all this way determined just to find one guy?'

That was the strange thing about Naruto, many he knew perceived him as lazy when he was sure he himself fit that description better. Especially now seeing the drive in his face to find this elusive man.

"Well then, direct Sasuke and me to the nearest brothels and red light districts around here!" Naruto announced unexpectedly, sitting up from his seat in the corner store's booth.

Naruto payed no mind to or seemed to notice the resounding odd looks other customers sent him.

"Speak louder so the whole rest of the city can hear you next time." Sasuke retorted from his side.

Naruto sent him a crude glare back before realizing how he sounded. "Err, what I mean is Jiraiya hangs out around those types of places, those are the best areas to first start looking."

"None of those places I hope are open this early in the morning." Temari cut in blandly.

Naruto simply shrugged, he was going to go and check either way. Jiraiya had tabs on all the best nightclubs practically everywhere he could think of; closed or open.

Temari watched the pair carefully. Naruto jabbing at Sasuke's arm to finish eating faster while Sasuke silently pointed to another large gust of wind brewing right outside the steps of the store.

A gleam flitted in her teal eyes and she looked towards Shikamaru who frowned knowingly.

"What?"

If anything, that merely made her smile wider. "We have nothing better to do…so we can help in this search for this Jiraiya guy. You're the one always telling me it's Naruto who makes you want to put more effort into things." Temari explained.

"Besides, it will be a good way to kill time then just your usual sleeping and cloud watching." She further jibed.

As if that would somehow make him feel ashamed of those hobbies.

"Yeah, let's get this over with then."

Naruto wouldn't particularly consider himself an expert at nightclubs, but he could tell the difference between the low end ones they breezed by. Paint chipped buildings with broken boards from years of misuse along with the heavy air of cigarettes and women who looked way older than the age they stated didn't scream Jiraiya would be nearby.

"Temari, where are the high end clubs? Uh, how would I describe it…like the places you and Shikamaru would go if you didn't want her brothers to find out?" Naruto complained, turning back to the two dragging behind them.

Temari's cheeks colored an interesting shade of pink, too shocked and angry to give a proper retort that wasn't coming out in a mix of curses and growls.

"We don't go about the same options you and Hinata do." Shikamaru intercepted through a cough, hoping that would be the end of it.

Sasuke kept ahead of them all, watching his footsteps imbed into the path silently as he listened to what else was going on around them. Heat crinkling against the pavement, mundane conversations of passerby's, sweat dripping and clinging to his hair, and then he heard it.

A boisterous laugh.

It was loud enough to make him pause and take notice of, causing Naruto to bump into him. "Hey, don't just stop in the middle of walking!"

"Shut up so you can hear it." He replied.

Naruto grunted at his rudeness, but did as he said. His gut slowly tensed as the sound returned.

'That's Jiraiya's laugh…'

He chased after it immediately around the corner, distantly catching Temari yell out that it was probably coming from the only well-known club/bar usually open 24/7 that most everyone in Suna knew of: Velveteen.

'I'm going to deck him so hard that he-'His thoughts became scattered as he listened for his laugh and voice again. His chest heaved for air and he stopped to catch a breath, blaming the stinging in his eyes on the sand and streaming winds that swirled around him as regained his focus.

He really did run off all the way here.

When his breathing settled, he slipped by the bouncer using the decorative bushes at the entrance. He was mildly awed by the interior. There was hardly anyone around considering it was late morning, but the mix of red velvet couches, love seats, and exotic designs to represent Suna's history and architecture reminded him of where the club got its name.

"Ladies, the next round of drinks are on me!" Jiraiya declared proudly, only to lower his glass when he saw a mix of blonde hair and an orange attire in the reflection. He chided the woman away quickly, doing a double take as Naruto truly was approaching.

The two stared at each other silently. Jiraiya froze up, waiting for him to yell he was a coward, a bastard, a pervert, and any other sin or name he could think of that he knew he deserved.

It shook him the most though when Naruto ceased his stare first, the entirety of what he could say evident in his cynical demeanor.

"Jiraiya, explain yourself."

-X-

There's no way that can be true.

Naruto sighed, swirling at the leftover ice from his cocktail. Remnants of the burning and sweet taste of the tequila mix simmered on the back of tongue.

"Damn it, why?" Naruto growled, slamming his fists against the table. "Old man, did you even care about the club?!"

Jiraiya scoffed, annoyed that Naruto couldn't hold his liquor and his accusations. "Of course I did! Club 81 wasn't making as much money as you and Hinata think! I wouldn't purposely give up part of my ownership to her father without knowing that! He made an offer to help pay off some of the debts and I accepted it; it's as simple as that!"

"Not just that!" Naruto snorted, pushing the empty glass aside. "Why didn't you tell me about these growing financial issues, the overdue gambling debts, you know all that important crap that I might've been able to help you with?!"

Jiraiya shook his head, signaling for a waiter to get a glass of water to cool him down. Naruto's face had quickly stained a deep crimson from only two rounds. He reached to pat his back and flinched when he harshly scooted away.

"I'm not that drunk yet to need your pity water or back rubs, but if I do vomit I'll make sure to do it in your direction." Naruto spat.

"Gee, thanks for the heads up." Jiraiya grumbled, in spite of his clear being pissed at him, he snickered.

Because Naruto still cared and he was in a way glad he found him so fast.

Naruto raised his head slightly off the table, huffing away at strands of his hair falling into his face. "Why the hell are you smiling about how much of an idiot you are? This is a serious conversation!"

Jiraiya bit back another chuckle. "Sorry, I can't take you seriously when you're halfway drunk. I didn't even think you would honestly agree to a drink…I don't think I ever saw you drink even at Club 81."

The statement sobered him up from the hostility of his earlier words. "Yeah, I'm not big on alcohol, you know that. You need to come back with me though, we can fix this. Sasuke came with me too, his company can help."

"You sound like you're demanding me, did you and Hinata honestly love that club that much?" Jiraiya questioned, reaching to accept the water the waiter returned with.

Naruto grudgingly accepted it as he slid the glass over to him, at least it was helping get rid of the scorching sensation. "…You're more important than the club, but some type of three way deal can be created, I'm sure of it. I told Hinata I would find you first and then I can settle things with her."

The easygoing grin slipped from Jiraiya's face at his solemn expression. "Huh, what's going on with you and Hinata now? Heh, don't tell me you knocked her up or something?"

Naruto paused, biting the rim of his glass. Hard.

"I don't know to be honest." He admitted.

Jiraiya said nothing so he went on. "I mean she's been sick lately and I know she went to go see Sakura at the clinic, but I don't know if it really helped or not and she sounded too timid to tell me. She wanted to say it in person."

A low jazz ballad resounded throughout the club and the pair watched in silence as people went to and through the main doors and upstairs. Jiraiya let out a deep sigh and abruptly smacked the back of his head.

"We have to get going then, you could've waited on finding me over that! Get your friends so we can get moving!" Jiraiya snapped, throwing down a wad of bills and leaving the table.

Naruto followed after him with a sour look, rubbing the tender spot. "She was the one who insisted."

The wind had died down as they returned outside, Sasuke the first to notice the two's loud arguing. "It's about time."

Temari grinned in amusement, nudging Shikamaru forward to go with them back home. "There's never a dull moment with them, next time I'll visit you and I can catch up with everyone else."

"If you say so." He answered, but he squeezed her hand in return as she slowly shifted out of his grasp.

He kept purposely in pace with Sasuke behind the two, frowning for a moment and the pieces of conversation he picked up on from them. He nearly opened his mouth to ask Sasuke if what they were talking about was true, but clasped it knowing where it would go.

Somewhere too complicated.

"I can't believe you might be a father. Ugh, you're making me feel old; pretty soon women might not even want to be around me!" Jiraiya bemoaned, kicking his sandals against the dirt trail.

Naruto scoffed as he put his hands behind his head, his face reddened at the leer he could feel him giving him.

"I-It might not even be true, you're jumping to conclusions and anyways…you are old!"

In some ways though, he was a bit unhappy the topic was so quickly dropped soon after that for the rest of the journey home.

-X-

Hinata played with the envelope in her hands, tinkering with the tape becoming worn from her constant picking at it all day.

'I'll be there in the next hour; don't open the envelope yet!' She found herself quoting Naruto's words repetitively.

She had pushed herself twice fold and engrossed herself in schoolwork when he called a few days ago to state he found Jiraiya. The conversation was blurry to her now, but she couldn't forget the anxiousness in his voice as if he was running back home during it.

Straight for her.

The sound of the tape peeling brought her back to the present, she squeaked in surprise and rushed to keep the tape back in place.

An hour really did feel endless when the only sounds to keep her company was her thrumming heart and the clock's continual ticks.

Hinata began the motion of drifting the envelope through her fingers once more when Naruto's familiar knock came and her breath stilted.

"No. No. No. I'm not ready yet!" Her thoughts screamed, but her feet moved of their own accord to the door and somehow in the process of it all she didn't throw up at just seeing his tense grin; moving aside to let him in.

Naruto headed directly for her room and she knew his gaze went straight to the manila folder left perched on her bed.

Naruto gulped, clenching and unclenching his hands. This whole atmosphere was similar to his dreams, except this was all very real. He settled onto her bed and ushered for Hinata to fall into his lap.

"This is it, right? What you wanted to talk about?" Naruto asked, holding up the envelope in his hands. He paid no mind to the dampness that settled against his hands as he thumbed along the edges.

She briefly looked up into his eyes, stomach flipping at the intense curiosity and concern in his features. Her hands stretched to wrap around his and she smiled as he immediately gripped them back.

"Sakura was concerned by my symptoms that I might be pregnant. I let her test my blood and urine to see and I wanted to tell you before though I thought too much was going on." Hinata said in one breath rather than start rambling.

Naruto chuckled lowly, holding her closer. "Well, I'm here now and I'll still be here no matter what it says."

So she didn't falter when he gathered up his nerves and they both moved to peel the envelope open together, papers of the results falling out in the process.

NEGATIVE

The word flashed across Hinata's eyes on the first paper of the reports and her stomach instantly unclenched, breathing relaxing in delight. "Naruto, it's negative! I'm not pregnant, I'm-"

'He's frowning?' Hinata paused.

"Naruto?" She whispered hesitantly.

She strained to turn and look at him fully. The rest of the papers fell to the floor listlessly at the movement.

Naruto shook out of it, bright grin suddenly plastering his face. "Huh, you're not pregnant! I guess it really was your stress or hormones causing it, huh?"

Hinata nodded, stomach lurching all over again at the odd despondent smile the moon lighted across his face.

Had he thought by her reaction that maybe she didn't want a family? With him?

"Naruto, I are you sure you're alright-"Hinata began, but Naruto sat up and feigned a yawn.

"Yeah, I'm fine; don't worry about it! It's gotten late and I ran all the way here as soon as we got past the gate. Is it okay if crash here tonight?" He asked, getting up to head to where her spare blankets were.

Hinata blinked at his drop of the topic, throat quickly compressing. "S-Sure that's fine." While he was gone, she shoved the results out of site under her bed, coiling swiftly under her blankets as she felt the pressure of his weight return to bed.

"Hinata…you do still want to have a child with me one day, right?" Naruto warily asked to break the uncomfortable silence rising between them.

"Of course Naruto I want to have a family went you, just when we're more monetarily secure and don't have all these other issues going on." She murmured back, turning over to face him. She smiled with all the sincerity she could muster to let him know it was okay, even though Naruto went on to apologize profusely for his overreacting until she fell asleep.

Maybe they could just pretend all of this never happened.

Naruto watched her slowly drift off into deeper slumber, the ends up her shirt rising up exposing part of her cream skin. He imagined for a flash a notable bump to her stomach before he hurriedly shook the thoughts away.

'Someday…'

Your thoughts would greatly be appreciated, this chapter was a bit difficult to write so feedback would be lovely!

Shout-outs and Thanks to Roxie.88, Rose Tiger, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, lodol25, maxridelover and Guest for your responses last chapter and all my readers for support following along!


	14. Collapse

Chapter 14: Collapse 

'Feels like my head is being split open…'

Naruto turned, nearly rolling off the side of the bed and gaped at the site of lavender eyes watching him from above as he drifted awake.

"Breakfast is ready if you want any." Hinata murmured gently.

And then she stepped away back towards the kitchen.

He regained the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. 'She's still so nice to me even when I don't deserve it…'

He hadn't meant to take the reaction of her not pregnancy so…oddly. Hinata was happy to not have the additional stress and he should've been as well.

If only he had put that more properly into words.

Hinata had her back turned to him as he approached, the scent of her favorite green tea and freshly made pancakes permeated the air as he fidgeted between holding her close to apologize a hundred times over last night again or just sit down and wait for her to come to him.

"Naruto, are you sure you're really okay that I'm not…you know pregnant?" Hinata asked slowly while approaching the table. Her clasp on their plates were tight, threatening to crack with the pressure she was putting on them.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I mean well, I wouldn't have minded being a father if it came down to it…I kind of wanted to be if I'm being honest." Naruto jabbered, slinking down in his chair when he realized he was probably exposing too much of how he felt.

"And you will! I mean, we'll be good parents once the time is right..." She blurted out quickly and she beamed at the small smile that crossed his features.

The morning still went on to be uncomfortably quiet though with no other topics to bring up. Hinata set to making up her bed and folding back up the sheets while Naruto settled on cleaning up the dishes and putting away the leftovers.

'If only I hadn't acted so excited when I first saw the results. I hurt him more than he wants to admit.' Hinata chided herself silently, running her fingers against the silk of her blue linens before she abruptly faltered, feeling dizzy.

A rush of nausea was suddenly coming back. Fast.

She let out a garbled cry of Naruto's name as she slipped out the doors of her room. There was no chance this time that she would make it to any bathroom or sink. Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment at the bile that eventually came up and stained against the peach tiles below.

"You should've said something earlier if you were feeling sick." Naruto brought up, pulling away at damp strands of hair that clung to her face once she moved away from the toilet.

Hinata sighed gently, leaning against his shoulder to wait out the surge of ache in her stomach. 'But I wasn't feeling sick at all. Maybe it's because of where my thoughts went...' She wanted to reply, though the acidic remnants bubbling on her tongue kept her from speaking up.

Naruto continued to rub her back soothingly, helping her to stand and lay down at the couch. "Don't worry, I'll clean up this mess so just relax!"

"W-Wait Naruto, you don't have to!" Hinata softly stated, wincing at how cracked her voice was. Whatever revulsion her stomach had possibly had to the breakfast she made, it was passing just as quickly as it came and she soon stood up to follow him.

She had allowed her stress to get a hold of her for a brief second; that was all.

Hinata smiled lightly, watching Naruto work from over his shoulder without him even noticing. He was using too much bleach and cleaning products for only a small 'spill'. At least that's what she would consider it because calling it vomit would mean…would mean she was sick with another issue besides a pregnancy and she hadn't yet figured out what it was.

"Naruto, don't use that one. That's for cleaning mirrors, not tile." Hinata spoke up, she giggled as he nearly leapt up and bumped into her; blue eyes wide in momentary fright.

"Geez, don't scare me like that! Anyways, I think I know how to properly clean up things! You should go lay back down to get some rest." Naruto huffed out.

Hinata shook her head, pointing to her watch. "Naruto, you hardly ever even clean up your own apartment without some help and did you forget you have class at noon? It's almost 11:30 am and if you don't go now you'll be late."

Familiar knots twisted in her stomach at the worried look he immediately gave at leaving her alone, but she mustered a smile.

Strong enough to hide her own fears too of being on her own with how she was feeling.

"Don't worry, I'll pick up some antacids and anti-nausea medications from the pharmacy. I'll even call Sakura again as well; she'll know what's going on." Hinata assured.

Naruto didn't seem convinced though, expression hardening as the concern in his eyes deepened. "She, thought you were pregnant and we saw how much she knew about that."

Hinata winced, fiddling with the ends of her blouse.

"Hinata, I didn't mean-"Naruto started over.

"You don't trust her expertise? She's still one of the top students going for a biomedical degree and working under one of the top doctors in the region." Hinata cut him off, surprise evident in her tone.

A cynical grin flickered across his face. "Well, that is true, but she's still just a student like you and me. If anything, you should try granny Tsunade or someone with more years of experience; wouldn't that make more sense?"

Hinata breathed slowly, fighting back the edge of anger wanting to over lace her own tone. She didn't want him to blow this out of proportion and make them both anxious all over again. 'We shouldn't be arguing about this right now anyways.'

"Fine, I'll stop by Tsunade...just please don't worry about me! You have your own schoolwork and activities you have to catch up on since coming back from Suna."

Naruto looked like he wanted to disagree more, but grunted pulling her close for a hug. "How can I not worry when you're still so pale and sick?"

Hinata bit her lip, fighting back another trigger of queasiness she so badly needed to suppress upon hearing his anxiety. He sounded so scared for her health as he clutched her, running his fingers deeply down her violet hair.

He pulled back slightly to gaze at her carefully once more, leaning down slightly to brush his lips against hers. She instinctively arched into him, biting back a whimper when he pulled her closer and backed them into a wall; knowing it would only make him want to stay longer…

And it would be harder to resist saying no.

After all, it was all her fault for causing him this worry, this distraction.

"Trust me, I'll call you first if anything comes up. But you'll really be late for class if you don't go now." She managed to whisper when they paused for air, hugging him tightly in return that she would be fine.

Naruto's brows furrowed, slanting his head to lowly mumble against her ear. "Hinata…don't push yourself."

She froze; almost forming the words to tell him to skip class and stay with her.

Though she squelched it just as fast as the idea came and not much later, she managed to convince him to leave. Closing her front door with a soft click and watching from her living room windows as Naruto hurriedly weaved throughout the crowded streets towards the university. She shut them back as a gust of wind blew in some dust, turning back to the halfway cleaned up mess Naruto had begun on.

Hinata sighed, sipping a glass of water to have something in her stomach and rolling up her sleeves as close as possible to her shoulders.

No matter what this illness was, it was nothing she couldn't handle.

-X-

"Old man pay attention! I called you as soon as my class ended for this emergency meeting for a reason!" Naruto hissed, flicking his forehead to get his attention off a pair of women entering the student center.

Sasuke scoffed, barely looking up his laptop as he scrolled through a page of his typed notes. "Yeah, great idea to have it in one of the busiest and noisiest areas on the campus."

Jiraiya on the other hand continued glancing around gleefully, winking at a pair of ladies heading towards the elevators. "No, no this was an excellent place to have it Naruto! You've learned so well from me; I mean, who knew colleges could provide such a goldmine of ideas I could use for the club! Maybe I can pose as a new professor…"

'Ugh, this wasn't my best plan that I came up with on the spot, but I needed to meet with the both of them sooner rather than later.' Naruto thought, scrunching his face as he watched the pair focus on two completely different things.

Could they really be able to work together?

Naruto cleared his throat, glad that most people were heading into the cafeteria to settle the noise. "Anyways, the reason why I called the both of you out here is because I want us all to figure out a way to lessen the Hiashi's control over Club 81. My first idea is to potentially have a three way split done between Jiraiya, Sasuke's company and Hiashi for example."

"Uchiha's don't take such small portions like 33%." Sasuke interrupted, obsidian eyes sharp as he halfway closed his laptop to intently listen.

"…Okay, and how much exactly do they take?" Naruto retorted, cerulean eyes narrowing back.

Because he be damned if the next thing he knew Club 81's control went into hands somehow shittier than Hiashi's hold on it after all the club had done for him and others.

Sasuke chuckled, unfazed by Naruto's gruff expression. "You're trade savvy enough Naruto to know the way big companies like ours work. When I proposed the idea to my father weeks ago, he was fine with it; if only because he knew the Hyuga's were gaining more power within Konoha by taking co-ownership."

Naruto nodded his head, following along. Even Jiraiya had stopped his ogling to turn and focus on the conversation at hand. "So, doesn't he want to do something about that? You two may still do friendly business with each other, but at the end of day you're still rival companies, right?"

Sasuke simply shrugged. "We weigh our options carefully before making any decisions. Maybe we'll do something…maybe we won't. Father will more than likely leave the decision up to me since I'm set to take over upon graduation and I haven't even thought it over in detail yet."

"So what if I say sweetened the deal for Hiashi by persuading him a cut in the more exclusive clubs I know of in exchange for a weaker hold on Club 81 or even giving up his ownership all together? Right now it's a 70-30 split between us, but I could get his mind off of his hold I'm sure. Then there's a stronger chance companies like Sasuke's might come in and give me a better deal while he's busy looking elsewhere." Jiraiya described.

Naruto tapped his pencil against the desk, silently playing out that scenario and the specifics. He could sense a dull migraine coming if he dwelled on the negatives his mind kept bringing up.

"Nah, it's too much of a long shot. I'm sure Hiashi already knows if he gave up even just a little bit of his hold on the club right now or parted with it, he would end up regretting it. Especially if he saw one of his biggest competitors swoop in and start blowing up with money that could've been his. It would look bad on him and to his own staff." Naruto concluded.

Sasuke faintly smirked at that, further gratingly pushing his notion.

Or he just enjoyed messing with him by giving them vague answers.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully, snapping his fingers to get both of their attention. "Look, I can handle my gambling debts and most of the other monetary issues in other ways. Even though it is a long shot like you said, I know it wouldn't be like you to give up not without a fight. Club 81 steadily losing sales since no big events have occurred lately, I'm a big pervert, and the club is based around sex. I mean those are just a few examples I know of why he wouldn't want to keep being a co-owner working with me knowing how his personality is!"

'And why is he proud of that?' Sasuke wondered at Jiraiya's upbeat look, rolling his eyes as he went back to his work.

Naruto knew the strangest of people he swore.

Naruto groaned, trying to think of the best time before the day ended when he could stop by the Hyuga manor possibly with Neji in tow since Sasuke and Jiraiya were going to be too busy later to discuss all this with him.

'I'll need to text Hinata the details as well before I forget.' Naruto retold himself.

They all knew Hiashi already had enough money that he didn't need to be a co-owner or even a co-owner at any company considering how well the Hyuga corporations did on their own.

Yes, this was all out of malice towards him he was sure of it. It had to be punishment for continuing to spend time with Hinata all these years. Reminding him he would never forget that he used to do juvenile pranks and spend a little too much time connected to some of Konoha's more serious crimes…

But he couldn't let the past keep haunting him like this, making him worry about his future. Especially not when he was doing so much better in school now thanks to Hinata, his friends, and better discipline on his anger.

'Hiashi will never care about any other clubs Jiraiya may offer him.' His thoughts irritability reiterated.

As long as he had power over the one club he and Hinata used to use to meet in secret…he was happy.

-X-

"Ugh, it was so awkward Sakura, I know he said he wasn't upset, but-"Hinata trailed off, hugging her jacket closer.

Sakura patted her back in understanding, humming with the crunching of leaves below them as they finished another stroll around one of the many tracks Konoha's parks had.

"It's good that you're not pregnant. I can see why though Naruto wasn't very good at hiding the fact he might be sad and still upset over it, especially with it sounding like you taking your health lightly. But hey, it's not like you guys don't have plenty of time to try again though when you're both ready, hmm?!" She mused with a wink.

Hinata huffed, kicking away at some leaves. "That's not where I want this topic to go! Anyways, we kind of had an argument…he doesn't think you have enough experience to be diagnosing me any time soon."

"Oh really?" Sakura stated. Jade eyes glinted with a hint of annoyance, but she ended up shrugging.

"I'm not surprised to be honest. A lot of patients don't take me seriously what with me being young and all. I don't take offense that he's so worried about you that he wants you to see someone with more years on them like Tsunade…even if she doesn't look 'old.'" Sakura explained.

'But I do! Sakura's our friend and we can trust her word, though Naruto makes a good point.' Her thoughts argued.

Hinata studied the sky, beaming at the sunlight that drifted over them and glowed against the trees amongst them. "So, if it's not pregnancy, then what do you think is it?"

Sakura rubbed her chin thoughtfully, briefly giving Hinata a good look over.

"You're stress and anxiety from all these secrets you've kept on top of your schoolwork is bad, plus all the fluid you've loss from throwing up will make you dehydrated." She determined.

Hinata resisted a groan at that. That's all she got from one scrutinizing glare? She already knew she was stressed, but not enough to believe that could be the main cause of all of this…she hoped.

And she was eating a fairly balanced diet as far as she could tell, wasn't there something else she just wasn't picking up on maybe?

"Tsunade can probably give you better explanations than I can though. Let's see going by today, she should be in her office before she heads off for her evening shift later on. It would be best to try and catch her now." Sakura brought up.

Hinata shuffled at her toes, not wanting to say what was dancing on the tip of her tongue and mind. "Um, she's not going to be out of it when I go see her, will she?"

Because she really couldn't think of another way to point out her mentor's bouts of drunkenness and behavior without being indirect.

Sakura understood her underlying meaning, ruffing a hand through her hair with a sigh. "…Yeah, that I don't know. Hopefully she's had her morning sake already is all I can say."

So they parted, the worst bit for Hinata being the weaving through the halls during the change of periods to reach Tsunade's office.

The university could afford to make renovations towards the infrastructure, especially during times like this when students were always hastily running about from one place to another with final exams and projects due in the coming weeks.

Hinata heard humming as she approached Tsunade's door. For a moment, she lingered outside her office, fingering along the gold plaque attached to her door: Tsunade Senju, MD-PHD.

'Alright, all I need to do is go in there and tell her what's been going on with me.' Hinata told herself, gently knocking on the door until she caught a muffled come in.

Tsunade appeared half awake as she regarded her, making Hinata caught between asking if she was okay or mumbling she would come by another time until she spoke up.

"Hmm, aren't you Sakura's friend? The heiress of the Hyuga family?" Tsunade questioned, rubbing her amber eyes sleepily.

Hinata nodded, taking a step forward as she took in her office. Piles of medical textbooks, half drunken bottles, and files laid strewn about her.

"How do you find anything in all this?" Hinata murmured in awe, before reddening and covering her mouth at how rude that sounded.

Tsunade laughed, straightening up in her chair. "Let's just say there's a method to my madness, but what brings you by here? If I remember correctly, weren't you by the clinic just a few days ago?"

"Ah yes, but I've continued to feel sick. I was wondering if it's not too much trouble could you do a quick physical assessment/check-up on me." Hinata asked, tapping her fingers together nervously.

Tsunade, compared to Sakura had a much more calculated expression as she looked her over.

And she winched when her eyebrows rose as she took a look inside her mouth. "Have you thrown up recently?"

Hinata gave a quick nod, not trusting her voice to work with how flustered she could feel her face getting.

Tsunade just silently moved on, going through the rest of her body systems until she took a step back. "I don't have all the proper equipment on me, but I can tell going by your continued symptoms along with your slightly sunken eyelids and dry lips that you're becoming dehydrated and might have the stomach flu. I'm sure you've lost quite a bit of potassium and sodium; you're in the field of health too so I'm sure you know what problems that can lead to as well."

Hinata gulped, shuffling at her feet to avoid her knowing gaze. "W-What can I do?"

Tsunade beamed, patting her arm reassuringly. "I suggest you take a mini break from your studies, get more rest, and increase your fluid intake along with usual healthy foods before this gets worse. I'm sure you're teachers will understand. You're an A student after all; unlike that boyfriend of yours…"

Hinata reddened further at the mention of Naruto, remembering their earlier mini squabble. "He didn't come by here earlier, did he?"

Tsunade's grin grew teasing as Hinata recognized just where Sakura got it from. "That idiot ran in here disturbing me from my daily nap I take between my lectures yelling for me to take the 'finest' care of you if you happened to stop by."

'That shouldn't surprise me nor should I find the idea of that so funny.' Hinata mused.

But she could feel a grin coming onto her face picturing it and a genuine laugh rose up before she could even contain it.

"Feels good to not bottle it all in, huh?" Tsunade hummed, about to head back to her desk when a thump outside the door startled them both.

"Neji, I've been trying to call that damn uncle of yours all day! Does he not answer his emails or his office phone?!" Naruto's voice rang out.

Tsunade listened carefully, scoffing while she poured out her last bottle of sake into a nearby cup. "Speak of the devil, he's been causing me bad luck and getting me behind in all my paperwork all day today. Though, I guess that must mean good luck for you if you heed my advice!"

Hinata pretended not to notice the wink she gave her at the end of that remark, observing as she made no effort to sort through said piles around her desk that she was complaining of.

She quietly thanked her for her time and headed out back into the halls, seeing an array of annoyed looks from other students staring in the direction Naruto must've gone. Some reaching down to pick up fallen notes and books scattered about from his actions.

'I know Naruto said he wanted to stop by the manor, but I don't remember him mentioning Neji?'

-X-

"If you truly had business with uncle, you could simply directly go to the compound. It's not like you haven't done that in the past." Neji growled, slowing down his pace to allow Naruto to catch up to him.

"Well maybe I didn't want all your nosy maids and family members knowing about the deal I wanted to settle with him involving Club 81!" Naruto snapped, jabbing him in the shoulder purposefully.

Neji paused, pearl eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What kind of deal? Does Hinata know about this?"

"She does, but she's still feeling under the weather so only I'm going. The deal is nothing that concerns you, unless you're part of the reason he did all this?" He snorted, amused at the scowl he gave him back.

Neji sighed, of course Naruto didn't trust him enough to say more, considering how toxic their past interactions has been.

So he had to phrase this properly without adding any sharpness to his tone. "Uncle has a soundproof room within the house that he uses for emergency meetings, we can see if he's home and go from there and I won't get involved if you don't want me to."

"Lead the way then."

Hinata paused, breathe quickening as she listened from behind a corner. 'Do we have enough information to confront father again so soon?'

Sakura had mentioned to her seeing him leaving the student center earlier with Sasuke and Jiraiya and she briefly thought back to his earlier messages saying he was working through ideas on how to get through to her father, but…

It was all happening much faster than she realized. She herself having barely collected enough research from her side on possible other companies who her father might even be interested working with.

She tuned out her stomach's gurgling loudly in her ears to remind her of holding back on lunch, pushing her mind to only think of the nearest back alleys and paths she could take to get to the manor before them.

'I'll use the back door to enter, hopefully father isn't meditating in the garden.' Hinata considered, pushing past shrubs and fiddling for the spare key she had.

"Hinata?" Hanabi questioned in surprise as soon as stepped into the hall, lavender eyes widened as she bounded over to her for a hug.

"What cha doing sneaking around the house? Oh, don't tell me! You looked at the results right; I'm going to be an aunt?!" She guessed, huffing when Hinata moved to cover her mouth.

Footsteps against the wood floor from by the foyer grew louder and Hinata shifted them to the closest room nearby: Hanabi's.

Hanabi pried her hand away as soon as her door was closed while Hinata asked uneasily where their father was. She rolled her eyes, pointing in the direction of his study before her smirk came back.

"Hanabi, the results were negative, I'm only here because Naruto wants to possibly create a deal involving Club 81." Hinata clarified, leaning against her comforter to calm her worries.

She had no idea what else Naruto could have come up with so fast. Jiraiya and Sasuke weren't anywhere nearby either which meant father would probably take him even less seriously.

Why hadn't he asked her to come along too if he was planning this? He knew she didn't even feel that sick anymore…

'Anyways, I need to get closer to hear what they say.' She decided after a while, noticing by her sister's tiptoeing outside her room towards his study she was thinking the same thing.

Their voices were muffled as she heard the creaking of the door open and close. Father must've have been in the middle of completing files telling by the bitter edge his tone had at being disturbed. She imagined his face for a second if he knew all these problems she had been going through and felt herself sink lower to the floor.

"You okay?" Hanabi whispered and she quickly snapped out of it with a nod, pressing an ear closer to the door.

"Uncle, Naruto has come here suggesting a deal with Uchiha Corporations. - They can possibly do a three way split-"Neji began.

She strained her ear to hear Naruto's own input, blushing at the mention of her name and 'important'. Hanabi moved back, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Dang it, we can barely hear them; we need to move away soon or they'll catch us eavesdropping!" She cautioned.

They ended up spending the rest of the time rummaging the kitchen for snacks during the meeting, at least her stomach would stop growling for food now Hinata supposed.

But she kept an eye out on Hiashi's closed door the whole time, guilt weighing at her that Naruto was trying to do so much for not only her, but the people he considered his friends and family alike that they had met throughout their encounters at the club.

Was she doing enough for him in return?

-X-

In the end, Hinata knew she wasn't going to a good job in keeping to Tsunade's advice.

Crumpled energy bars and some half empty water bottles were spread around her as Hinata pushed herself to read the last page in the Stress and Illness section of her nutrition book and finish her notes on it.

She clicked her tongue as she read through examples and saw pictures the book used to highlight the prolonged effects it had on the body. Some of the people's behaviors were starting to mirror her own…

It wasn't like she had stopped eating all together or something though, once she had left the compound she had ordered a proper meal of a salad, sandwich, and drink from the campus bookstore and ate the majority of it before entering the library where she was now.

These bouts of vomiting were simply isolated incidents she truly needed to stop worrying about.

The sound of books being pushed aside and a sliding chair across from made her look up in alert, her teeth clenched as silver eyes met hers.

"Toneri, I know you may still attend this school too, but there are plenty of other open tables available. Why come to mine?" Hinata hissed.

Toneri only smiled easily, adjusting his chair as he scooted closer. "Because I needed to talk to you. Alone."

Hinata moved to get up and he quietly watched, taking in the empty wrappers scattered by her. "I see you've picked up on your boyfriend's messy behavior…speaking of him he's been quite busy I've heard. What is it though you see in someone who used to be involved in so many dark things?"

"Humph, you're one to talk. Do you want father to know the rest of the blackmail and problems you've secretly caused behind his back and for me and Hanabi? Isn't that why you've been hiding your face from all of us?" She jeered.

Toneri shrugged his shoulders, but she saw the hint of fear in his face and inwardly smiled triumphantly.

"Fine, I'm not here to cause more trouble than what you've caused me and I've caused you, but I know what Naruto is trying to do. You're father isn't going to give back his claim on Club 81 so easily." He explained.

Hinata scoffed, turning to finish packing up her belongings even as he went on. "Club 81 was the one place he knew he could take from you two, though know even that doesn't seem to be working. Naruto is really pushing this deal with other rivals of your father's company, even going to the main competitor the Uchiha's from the way the rumors go. However I wonder, what's your contribution been to all this?"

Again, she felt her stomach flip and she swallowed down a growing knot.

Her exact worries were being brought to light in the worst ways she imagined.

"It's none of your concern what I do." Hinata stated and to her surprise, Toneri nodded.

"True, it isn't." He mused, but his eyes glinted mysteriously and her grip on her backpack tightened.

He couldn't have known about her pregnancy scare, all her pressures, or even her earlier queasy episodes, all of that was confidential.

And while she thought of this, he suddenly chose to get up first, brushing past her shoulder as he headed for the exit. "I merely wanted to let you know it's good to be equals in a relationship. If one person is trying more than other, then it looks bad; don't you think?"

Hinata reached for one of her moderately heavy textbooks that she could throw and flung it directly at the back of his head as he walked away. He cursed in shock at the action and turned to send her a nasty look, but it slipped apart as soon as he saw her intense glare.

"Don't ever bother me or Naruto again about our relationship! He may have fought you once already, but I'm sick of your presence! Next time, it will be me if you try to mess with any of my loved ones again!" She called out to him.

His eyes briefly widened at the seriousness of her threat and he paused as if to say something before frowning and continuing on a bit faster than before.

She finally allowed her body tremble once he was truly out of sight, watching her tossed book lay listlessly open on the ground. She moved to sit back in her chair, hoping that would make some of the shaking go away.

It didn't.

'Naruto and I are on the same terms. Lately it just seems different because I've been sick, but we both help each other with chores, homework, and listening to each other's problems. I haven't had time to help with Club 81 business as much since he was looking for Jiraiya and I had to finish up my own schoolwork first…that doesn't make me unhelpful, right?' Hinata told herself.

Encouraging herself wasn't working though, because all she could constantly be reminded of was that Naruto was the one to first go look for Jiraiya and find him to fix things, to try and persuade her father to give up ownership, and was the one who always tended to initiate things while she usually stayed back or just went along with it.

She bit her lip, tears burning at her eyes. Her gut seemed to coil tighter around her as her head pounded with thoughts Naruto might think she didn't care enough about helping with Club 81 or persuading her father to change his mind.

They were all silly ideas though and she kept rubbing her head to block them out, gritting her teeth when she imagined Toneri's snickering knowing he had planted the seeds of this doubt in her mind.

No matter what she did though, her head and stomach were refusing to relax and the pain was quickly becoming unbearable. She could hear voices nearby faintly calling out to her in concern before her vision went completely hazy.

-X-

'That's a bad omen.'

Naruto grimaced, observing as a crowd outside the entrance of the school watched an ambulance drive away.

"Maybe another athlete got injured again." He muttered, those were the only times he could think when accidents were serious enough someone had to call for an emergency vehicle.

He wanted to ask Hinata if she knew what was going on, but she hadn't answered any of his texts or calls since his leaving the Hyuga household.

'Is she in class maybe? It's not like her to at least send a short message…'

Any response back now would at least help with this growing dread rising up.

His curiosity was starting to nag him to get a closer look and some information though, shoving past onlookers and paying no mind to the scowls he got in return as he watched the ambulance speed farther into the distance.

"Naruto? Why the hell are you still here?!" A voice rang out from the horde before he was nearly shoved in to the ground by Kiba.

He scowled, shoving the man's slobber and heated breathe away from him. "Maybe you should calm down first and tell me what's going on before you go attacking me!"

Kiba appeared surprised for a moment at his genuine confusion before his face hardened. "What, how could you not know?! Have you not been on campus today at all?"

Naruto began to respond, but waited. He scowled at the crowd seeming to expect a fight between the two to go. He swore he caught an amused grin on one of spectators though that merely triggered his growing fury.

"Kiba, what's going on? I know I've gotten crazy looks around here before, but all I did today so far was go to my morning class and then stop by the Hyuga's for most of the afternoon before heading back here." He snapped.

Kiba shook his head, averting his eyes up towards the sun to obscure his face. His voice began to crack as it lost its rough edge. "It's Hinata, she-"

There phones abruptly went off at once and Naruto dug it out of his pocket urgently, reading the flash of Sakura's name on the screen.

"It's Sakura, right? Answer it, she's been calling everyone trying to get a hold of you." He grumbled, wiping his face.

He did his best to feign not hearing Kiba trying his damnedest to not sound as if he was about to cry saying that, plugging one ear to listen as he sat down on the pavement.

"Sakura?" He asked uneasily.

"Naruto? Finally! Was your phone on silent, I've been trying to call you so many freaking times now!" She cried out, words jumbled and frantic.

Naruto moved to sputter a reply, but his voice fell apart when she went on to explain everything, mind going blank to respond.

'I wasn't there…damn it, I should've stayed with her.''

He distantly heard the cracking of his phone against the cement as it slipped out from his hands.

"Naruto? Naruto? Can you hear me?! Hinata fainted at the library; get your ass over here to the hospital! Now!"

~x~

Interesting, I was a bit surprised quite a few you wanted Hinata to be pregnant, but I had other plans I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on! Lol, so nope no Boruto and Himawari…at least for now that is heh heh!

Anyways, Thanks/Shout outs to: Guests, Breakthrough92, Hime-Love-97, llazo4108824, Rose Tiger, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, lodol25, nightwind83, maxridelover, and shero56 for your responses and advice last chapter. I really appreciated your feedback on how I can improve some things and as always thanks to all my readers for your continued support following along!


	15. Thrills

Chapter 15: Thrills

It felt like a hundred eyes were staring at her.

Hinata opened one eye, indeed seeing a blurry mix of friends and healthcare personnel clustered around her.

She quickly shut it back before anyone hopefully noticed, praying the last few hours coming to mind were just a dream. That she hadn't become so overwhelmed from her issues to have fainted in the library of all places and worried everyone nearby.

'It wasn't a dream though.' Her thoughts pointed out mockingly.

The sound of monitors faintly beeping and a dull ache resounding in her arms where she must have been injected sorely reminded her of that fact.

"Alright, let's give Hinata some breathing space. She needs plenty of rest and time for the electrolyte replacements and medicine to run through her system. A small stomach flu and a bit of overworking herself is nothing for us to all hover over her for." Tsunade announced from beside her.

A mix of groans and complaints rang out, but a simple crack of her fists had most of them hurriedly shuffle away.

"Get as much sleep as you need Hinata, at least until Naruto barges in and wakes you up." Tsunade whispered soothingly and Hinata nodded slowly in response as she dimmed the lights.

She caught a glance at her friend's concerned expressions just as Tsunade closed the door behind her. From Sakura's dull verdant eyes down towards Shino's larger than usual shades and hoodie obscuring his face; all of them looked so depressed and weary.

Hinata winced, causing her grip on the bed-sheets to tighten.

"I'm okay." She mouthed out, cracking what she wished was a good enough smile to ease their fears.

It was only when the door clicked fully shut though, did she feel a few tears beginning to blur her vision. The warmth of the pillows and blankets encompassed as she buried her face, trying not to pull out her started IV lines in the process.

The nausea and pain might have been gone, but the stress wasn't.

'This is going to spread all over the school in a matter of hours. It won't be long now before father and the rest of the family hear about this…' 

Dwelling on it wasn't going to change things though, even if her thoughts kept pulling her back towards the image of another one of her father's stern and disappointed looks when he eventually found out the truth.

"Naruto should get here first though; I heard Sakura calling him." Hinata asserted to herself to calm down, smiling at the thought of him bursting through the door calling out to her. He would disturb the other patients and guests in rooms nearby and probably get reprimanded by Tsunade and Sakura in the process of it all before they allowed him inside.

She drifted off again at the thought, able to block out the worries that had been enveloping her for the time being. Hours past, dreams a blend of the past, future, and old memories created anew.

"Hinata, Hinata wake up!" A voice whispered urgently, pulling away at the white sheets covering her. Her eyes drowsily drifted open from being stirred, able to only make out a hazy figure in the darkness.

"Naruto?!" She whispered excitedly, reaching to squeeze at the hand nearest her before a slight frown slipped across her face.

The hand was rougher and larger than Naruto's, calluses in places she knew Naruto wouldn't have.

"No, it's me…can you not see me clearly? But then again, I guess I wasn't the one you wanted here, huh?" And Hinata felt her mouth go dry, recoiling back her hand at the hurt in the man's tone.

Hinata sat up a bit, ignoring the sting that raced through her body at the action. Her vision began to clear and she reluctantly sighed as the figure pulled up a chair close to the bed.

'Father…'

-X-

"What happened?" Hiashi questioned, switching on the main overhead light for the bed. Her eyes squinted once more to adjust, surprised to see the exhaustion in his face. Dark bags were underneath his eyes and the glint of sweat was noticeable near the edges of his hair from having rushed to see her.

"Nothing, this isn't anything you need to worry about…" Hinata trailed off, glancing down at her now crumpled blankets.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him furrow his brows in question. A tight frown rose upon his face as he tapped at the bedspread impatiently.

"Really? It's nothing yet you can't even look me in the eye to say it? I wouldn't have even known about this incident unless Toneri hadn't stopped by to tell me." Hiashi stated.

"What?! Please don't trust him! Surely you know and haven't forgotten all the problems he's caused me and the company! I don't know why he's suddenly wanted to come back into our life after all the things he's done!" Hinata cried out.

Hiashi blinked in surprise at her outburst, attempting to touch her hands in comfort but Hinata quickly pulled them under the covers in doubt of him.

'It seems like she grows more and more distant from me every time we meet…' Hiashi considered, folding his hands back into a tight fist.

"Relax, I of course still remember the extortion efforts he used against you and Naruto. Beyond that, I know he isn't to be trusted knowing what he was doing behind my back. You can at least believe me on that."

Hinata wiggled at her toes, still avoiding looking at him fully.

Because what else could she say to him; there was no way she would tell him about her stresses and pregnancy ordeal without him more than likely becoming enraged.

"I can't believe you're here in the hospital. It hurts to see you look so pale and from what Tsunade told me it was a mix of dehydration, stress, and a stomach virus? That's too much for you to go through by yourself! Can't you open up to me about what's really been going on with you these past couple of weeks? Just a little bit; I won't overreact or judge you." Hiashi ventured.

This wasn't the first time he said or acted this way, trying to make her believe in him again only for them to soon fall back into their usual strained relationship when she eventually would somehow say or act in a way that let him down.

At the end of the day, it was going to become another empty promise of change to her.

"Hinata, Hinata! Where are you?! Answer me if you can hear my voice!" Naruto called out, making them both sit up to listen.

Hiashi peered back to the closed door, hearing more distinct yelling for him to shut up amid hurriedly approaching footsteps. Hinata became noticeably more flustered as Hiashi turned back to look at her, trying to sink her way back down into the bed out of view.

"E-Err, he doesn't normally act like that; he's simply worried about me-!" Hinata tried to defend him.

Her case wasn't exactly helped though when Naruto abruptly ran in interrupting her mid-sentence.

"Hinata, you're okay! Thank goodness, man I ran around so many damn floors that I nearly got escorted out by security until granny Tsunade vouched for me! Though not before she hit and berated me all the way here. Anyways, are you feeling better? I should've not left you alone at your apartment…" Naruto rambled fervently.

She gulped, feeling her face grow even hotter. He had so suddenly raced up to hug her, not even noticing her father's presence in the room as well. "Ah, I'm starting to recover just fine, but we're not alone in here you know."

Naruto blinked, following her line of sight to Hiashi studying him closely.

"…How many times have you stayed at her apartment?" He asked.

Naruto's lips quirked into a coy grin, making himself comfortable on the side of the bed opposite of him. "Plenty! Care for me to diverge all the juicy details?"

"N-No!" Hinata stated, lightly shoving him enough for him to fall off the bed.

Naruto sent her a pout in return as he picked up her fallen sheets, letting a snicker escape at her huff. "Oh, I wasn't going to tell him anything important!"

'Do I even want to know what they're talking about?' Hiashi pondered, standing up to stretch out his legs as a minimum to give them some privacy.

He walked towards the window and pushed back the curtains and blinds, startled by how late it already was. Nightfall was already beginning to set in telling by the dwindling gleams of bright yellow and red that usually reflected off the city's largest buildings windows surrounding them.

Hinata's light giggling brought him out of his sightseeing and he turned to look back at the two.

His head swirled at the smiles upon their faces. He'd rarely ever got to see the two look so happy…

'Because you make them miserable when you're around.' A thought answered sneeringly for him. He wanted to crush such a notion like he'd done so many times in the past already. Before it got the better of him, but it lingered…

And it rightly so began to hurt when he realized by idly watching them talk how much Naruto had positively changed Hinata and vice versa over time.

It's an embarrassing truth he can't avoid any longer.

'I really do have to start changing my perspective and fixing things with this man Hinata loves…'

Naruto had shifted back to his original position on his bed, unzipping his black jacket to reveal a small bag tucked away.

"Shh! You have to hide these from Tsunade and Sakura when they come to check on you since visiting hours will be over soon! I bought them from downstairs at the food court." Naruto explained, pushing the bag into Hinata's hands.

The scent of cinnamon and sugar wafted out of the bag as she opened it and her smile widened. There were two cinnamon rolls stickily perched at the bottom. "Thank you, though I'm afraid I can't eat them right now. It has too much fat content that it could upset my stomach all over again too soon."

He should've seen it coming that she would politely decline… not that he couldn't persuade her by eating one somewhat overly sensually.

Hinata reddened, trying to look away as he licked at his growing messy lips and fingers. "Hinata, are you sure you don't want a little taste?

She shook her head rapidly, but still stared at him; mesmerized.

Mainly by the way he seemed to be sinfully moving that tongue of his around a roll of all things…

"Come on…I won't tell anyone!" He further teased, swallowing down another bite and leaning in close to her.

"But I would." Hiashi coughed, breaking off their flirting or whatever the hell it was.

They had seemed to have so simply forgotten he had never left.

'It isn't going to be easy to get used to a personality like his in a matter of seconds.' Hiashi thought, but he needed to try.

Or at least try harder than he was doing beforehand.

Naruto straightened up, searching his lilac eyes carefully. "Have you given any thought to what I mentioned the other day?"

"I've considered it, but I've been busy with other paperwork over the past few days." Hiashi responded.

Naruto scoffed, cerulean eyes narrowing with subdued anger. "Yeah, of course you have."

Hinata internally sulked, watching as her father silently returned back to his seat. The high spirits she'd been having was falling fast with the thick tension rising in the room.

Naruto had really attempted to repeatedly go over this plan he had with Jiraiya and Sasuke over the past couple of days, but it sounded so complex and garbled nobody besides him would probably understand it best.

"Let's just get to main point, because all of us here know you're not exactly friends or even acquainted with Jiraiya enough that you merely wanted to help him out with his money woes out of the goodness of your heart. You're still trying to hold onto your ownership of the Club 81 to spite me, right?" Naruto declared.

Hiashi gritted his teeth at his harsh tone, biting back his own cold response when he saw Hinata's abrupt change to a hardened expression. She was subconsciously arching closer to Naruto, lavender eyes sharp and daring him to prove Naruto's words wrong.

When clearly right now he couldn't.

And it bothered to him to admit it, guilty thoughts pressuring him again with another truth once more. 'Nothing I impose on them works…I'm only driving my eldest daughter away from me.'

He sent Naruto a scrutinizing glare, lightened scars along with cuts abound on his tan skin. Sharp reminders of his days of vandalism and petty crimes of the past he often did with his doppelgänger.

'What was that man's name again? Something similar to his own Menma or something…'

At least he didn't hang out with him anymore as far as he knew. He hoped.

Hiashi instead tried to not dwell on the negativity of the past by peering towards his interlaced fingers with Hinata's. For an instant, he watched him briefly glance at her and saw the usual joy in his appearance return that everyone knew him for.

"Alright, I'll set up a dinner with Fugaku and maybe some of his other top advisors from the Uchiha corporations. We'll discuss the club and more then once we can settle on a day we're all available." Hiashi eventually said.

They both brightened quickly at his words and he felt the edges of a smile coming too until Naruto eagerly began to shake Hinata's hands up and down; almost making one of her IV lines fall out.

"This is great Hinata! We have to celebrate once you're out of here! It'll be great; we'll go to Ichiraku's and have a have a welcome home party at the campus or your apartment!" Naruto cheered out, not so subtly moving closer to her in the bed once more.

Hinata beamed, even with the reddish hue coming back onto her face. "Err, that sounds good but don't forget father hasn't left yet."

"That hasn't stopped us before!" He mused, earning him a soft whack from one of her pillows.

-X-

'It's nice to get back into the swing of things.' Hinata considered, enjoying the company of friends in one of the campuses student lounges.

She had been out of the hospital for three days now and one of the first things she did was take it easy and mix up her schedule to create an equal balance of work each day and free time as she should've originally done.

'I don't think I've felt this relaxed and at peace in a long time.'

"Hey Hinata, can you stop by the photography classroom to help me with my project? I want you to be my nude and afterwards we can go out to celebrate you getting out of the hospital earlier than expected! Well, he certainly doesn't eat around the bush, does he Hinata?" Ino mused over her shoulder.

"S-Stop reading my texts! Especially out loud!" Hinata complained, moving her ongoing messages out of site and lightly shoving her away. 'I think he meant muse, not nude…'

Sakura and Tenten snickered, peering up from their own phones.

"Naruto still hasn't finished that assignment yet? He can't keep putting it off, even if it's just an elective he still needs it to graduate." Sakura stated.

Most everyone out of their group of friends hadn't stopped making fun of Naruto for picking photography as his fine arts credit. Interspersed between all the classes he had related to laws, government, and politics he still had to get his basic prerequisites out of the way at some point.

Sasuke in particular though (with quite amusement) made a habit to remind him of his sleeping late that day they all made their schedules last semester leaving all the classes full with him having to get another credit of his out of the way while they rest of them completed their fine arts requirement in music, art, or drama.

Fine Arts classes were held on the west end of the campus, noted for where most of the eccentric students liked to hang out. She hadn't really trekked over to that side of the campus in what seemed like months.

But this was a good chance to help Naruto and continue her efforts to de-stress.

A flurry of students rushed past her as she approached the main building, probably heading towards the student center auditorium to act out some play telling by their 18th century clothing and others with drama masks on.

Hinata let them pass, spotting silver hair behind the mask of one of them. She leaned in closer to inspect, stunned by dark bluish black ring close to the man's eye.

"Toneri?" She whispered.

The man froze for a fleeting second at her question, but didn't look her way. Keeping in stride with his classmates as if he hadn't heard or seen her.

It was as if she had been invisible to him…Good.

Naruto hadn't even noticed her come into the empty classroom, back to her as he tinkered with the film in his old timey camera.

"Who instigated the fight this time; him or you?" Hinata questioned, startling him as the camera nearly fell out of his hands.

Naruto arched an eyebrow, confusion evident until he smirked. "Hmm well…he did have a noticeable bump on the back of his head that I know I didn't cause. Though to answer your question it was me, I asked around the grapevine to find out what happened the day you passed out."

Hinata squirmed, wavering on what to say next at how little he cared about his behavior. "Don't get into any more fights. Father finally seems like he's beginning to trust you so…"

Naruto hastily pulled her close and her breath hitched as he nuzzled his head close to her neck. "I know, I know. But if it involves hurting you in some way then I can't sit still and do nothing. Besides…you technically attacked him first this time; not me!"

Hinata heated as his laugh rumbled against her neck. "True, but it was just a spur of the moment! I'm sure he won't bother us any more though knowing that father feels the same way as us. Plus, I passed him walking in and he actively pretended I didn't exist."

He continued to snicker at that, leaning away from her a bit. Goosebumps began to prickle her skin under his deep gaze. "Great, it's always interesting to see that spunkier side of you. I'll distract you from thinking about him now..."

"U-Um, so what did you need my help with anyways?" Hinata asked, changing the topic.

Naruto pointed towards his camera. "Yeah, so our professor wants us to take pictures of people and places that mean something to us along with a small caption saying why. I thought I would start with you."

Her heart thumped at his flattery, moving to help him set up the rest of the equipment. It might've not have been a class he wanted to take really, but he had learned a lot from it.

"I've never modeled for any one before though." Hinata whispered, straining to keep still as he brushed pieces of her violet locks away and told her to pretend to be looking thoughtfully out the window.

"Don't worry; you're a natural." He murmured back as he went behind the camera. 'And it's getting harder to focus on the lighting and zooming knowing that…'

They went through a series of different poses like that, switching between having backdrops of the courtyard below, the classroom, and the halls.

"Hinata?" Naruto suddenly questioned.

Hinata hummed, stirred out of her daydreaming at watching students pass below. "Huh, want me to change positions again?"

He shook his head, laidback grin outlining his features. "I want to try something different between only you and me. Come here."

Her stomach fluttered at the implication as she headed into his beckoning arms, easing back as he motioned to a device on the camera.

"It's a self-timer; I've never tried it out before so I wanted to snap some photos of us to see if it works." Naruto explained.

She nodded, hoping he wouldn't notice her jittering as he wrapped his arms snugly around her. She hadn't exactly been very comfortable with her body after the weight loss from being sick.

And it was too easy to push back buzzing thoughts wanting to ask him if the pictures were turning out okay to avoid seeing how skinny she might've looked.

"Uh oh, this isn't good." Naruto said once the photo came out and Hinata cringed, compressing her lips tightly.

"I knew it would be too hard to resist you with you being so close to me." Naruto went on and she blinked, studying his warm eyes as showed off the picture.

The camera had captured them at a good moment, sunlight coming in through the clouds and hitting them at an angle. Whatever amount of pounds she has lost didn't even seem noticeable with the way Naruto held her.

"R-Really?" Hinata asked and Naruto nodded, setting the photo aside.

"Of course, you know what your body does to me; you don't ever have to think otherwise." He purred, reaching out to gently grab her hand and press it towards his growing erection.

She stiffened for a moment at the bold action before inclining her body towards his touch as he tugged her close, moaning when he altered from light strokes along her breasts and hips to lingering kisses.

"Naruto…the camera…" Hinata said between gasps. He had already started the process of wrestling away half of their clothes, turning them against the board. Clicks of the camera's timer went on to become unnoticed, photos capturing each minute, dropping to the ground in piles.

Her skin heated up as he descended on a nipple, massaging and nipping at the bud until it became taut all the while stroking his fingers toward her opening. He gently pushed one finger in, grinning as she sighed into his shoulder.

"Don't tighten up; let go for me." He murmured hotly, pushing an additional finger in as she started to come undone.

"Naruto…Ah, I can't…I'm going to…" Hinata murmured, cut off midway by kisses as his strokes became faster.

He stopped his motions for a second, fiddling in his pocket until he saw the flicker of a golden wrapping and pulled it out.

Her face flushed as he sent her a wink: a condom

"We'll play it safe this time; neither of us will have to worry." Naruto grunted, settling back in for a kiss as she felt him unzip and shrug out of the rest of his garments.

"Hmm, did you plan for this to happen then?" Hinata ventured to question, letting her hands roam over his skin, even mischievously tugging at his length while he rolled the condom on until he hissed.

"Oh, trying to pay me back from earlier, huh?" Naruto said amongst a mix of groans and curses as Hinata only giggled and grinded their hips together slower.

He eventually lifted her up slightly, studying her earnestly as he thrusted in. Her head lolled back against the board at each move, his name slipping out in panted breathes and cries. Fingers clenched and dug into him as he held her close through another release.

"Fuck, Hinata…" Naruto dragged out, thrusts becoming languid and slow until he felt himself go. Heat and sweat intermixed as they rested their foreheads together. Naruto slowly leaned back to pull out, abruptly stopped by Hinata's grip.

"Wait, not yet. I want to feel you for a bit a longer." She emphasized. Naruto blinked before nodding, wrapping her a light hug.

For a moment, there was nothing in either of their lives to be anxious or tense about.

"I don't think I can stand." Hinata whispered dazedly eventually, hold on him slipping.

At least Naruto didn't seem to be in much better shape.

"That's alright; I got you." He asserted, sliding her slowly off the board towards the ground. He tossed away the condom and reached for his thrown shirt on a nearby desk; covering her in case there were any prying teachers or students ready to interrupt them at any moment.

Hinata smiled, lulled by his rapid heartbeat matching hers as she rested into his chest. He sat up slightly in alarm when he realized the camera had indeed unfortunately continued to take photos in the midst of their passion, dozens of pictures scattered about them.

They'd probably have to burn or bury those later.

"I'm sorry; lately our lovemaking has been in places we could easily get caught." He stated gently, kissing her forehead lightly.

'Open fields, closets, and clubs in the middle of the night…yeah he makes a good point.' Hinata pondered with a giggle.

"That's okay, I guess beds are overrated for us. We can change and head off to Ichiraku's once we get some energy back."

Her phone started to buzz though from her discarded skirt as she finished her sentence and she groaned, leaving Naruto's warmth to see who it was.

It was her father; she read over his text slowly before reading it aloud.

"Naruto, is next Sunday okay for everyone to meet regarding Club 81's affairs and ownership?"

Naruto resisted a yawn, putting back on his boxers and jeans in the corner. "Yeah, tell him that's fine."

'It's not like he gave us any other options to go with…'

-X-

It was truly an unusual, but interesting sight to see.

Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, and Jiraiya all sitting the same room.

He knew this day was coming though so he really shouldn't have been so surprised or nervous. Hiashi was bound to get this dinner meeting over with as soon as possible once he had set up a date.

"Ready Naruto?" Hinata murmured from beside him and he nodded, shaking off his jitters as they took a seat across from the four men.

Fugaku peered up from his wine, smirk widening as he took in Naruto's appearance. "So, you're the man Sasuke spoke of and Jiraiya's former apprentice. Hiashi tells me that you've been wanting us to get into the nightclub industry as well?"

Naruto looked towards Jiraiya who silently nodded before clearing his throat. "Yes, if Hiashi is willing to settle a deal with your company I would like for everyone here to work together instead of one person monopolizing the whole industry."

'Is Sasuke going to say something?' Naruto wondered, watching as he swirled at his glass not even making eye contact.

Then again, right now they were more so business associates rather than friends.

"Father, the reason you were able to persuade Jiraiya into becoming a co-owner was on the pretense that you would help with his debts and hopefully increases sales of the club. In the past weeks since you've become a partner with Club 81 though shows that income has stagnated and even declined on weekend nights when that is normally when they have their peak amount of growth." Hinata related.

Hiashi sent her a stare she could only describe as somewhere in between surprise that she actually went to the trouble and looked into the club's data and confusion as to why he didn't ask her in the first place about what he was planning now.

"Still though, 33% is just too low if we were to say go with only Jiraiya, the Uchiha's and Hiashi each owning a portion. I don't believe honestly that Jiraiya even truly wants to give up that much of his ownership, do you?" Sasuke spoke up, getting the man's attention off his plate.

'I could really use another refill on my drink.' Jiraiya sighed, brushing a hand slowly through his spiky hair knowing he had to speak.

"Yeah, I admit I've made some bad business deals and mistakes. Currently with only Hiashi and me it's a 70-30 cut. And yes if I'm being truthful, his work in the club hasn't changed much. In fact, the only reason I'm sure he was so adamant about helping was because its formerly Naruto and Hinata's rendezvous spot." He admitted.

Hinata choked on her bite of salad, blushing at the stare Fugaku sent her along with Naruto. 'Oh, did he really have to confess that out loud?!'

"Ah, so you think by adding the Uchiha corporations in we can improve where the Club is failing at that Hiashi hasn't fixed perhaps?" Fugaku suggested and Jiraiya warily nodded.

Naruto frowned, wanting to question if Jiraiya was really thinking this through. The discreet looks he had already been sending him at times throughout this dinner weren't exactly making him feel confident.

Fugaku wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin, glancing towards his son. "Well Sasuke, you're probably a better expert at this than me. That club is known more for the younger generations that visit it. Would you say from the times you've been there with Sakura that it's good enough for us to cut a deal in?"

Naruto barely stifled a snicker at the disbelieving expression Sasuke gave back, almost wanting to add his own two cents in at the short-lived blush he had.

"I'm not the one you should ask, Naruto over there can't practically take the smile off his face just knowing we're on this topic." Sasuke grunted.

"Oh, don't be upset with me that you're ashamed you're dad knows about the things you do with Sakura. At least he approves of it apparently." Naruto snorted back.

Hiashi raised a brow at the glare Naruto sent his way, hiding a smirk beneath his palm. "People can change their opinions over time Naruto, my thoughts on your relationship with my daughter isn't as it once was you know."

Naruto blinked before scoffing and crossing his arms. "Humph, don't try to trick me by playing nice! I still remember the comments you made back in the hospital by interrupting me from kissing Hinata!"

Hinata reddened, side glancing Naruto a long stare and he instantly straightened up and behaved.

Jiraiya chuckled at the act. "Wow, and you talk about me. You are so whipped by her boy…not that that's a bad thing!"

Hiashi coughed, straining to get them back to main conversation. Even so, the rest of the dinner didn't change much. Fugaku and Sasuke remained purposely fixed in still discussing the proposition with their own company privately with Jiraiya alone, even when Hiashi said he wouldn't mind decreasing or giving up his own percentage and letting them own his share to particularly Hinata and Naruto's shock.

'What's gotten into father for him to even suggest that? He's been acting odd ever since I checked out of the hospital…' Hinata pondered, trying to read his expression. He caught her stare for a brief moment and she stiffened at the same curious look he gave back as if she was about to say something. She was unsure what to do, so she simply looked away.

Old habits around him truly were hard to break.

Naruto scrunched his lips, deep in silent thought. 'Hiashi never gives up something without a good reason, so what could it be this time?'

Jiraiya didn't seem too worried about anything, grinning and making jokes again that he was able to break the great Uchiha's stern expressions for a moment to relax and simply have a friendly get together.

"Did anything actually change from having this meeting? I should've brought up how we needed to create a deal soon what with all the performers and workers at the club starting to have financial difficulties due to not getting paid because of all this mess." Naruto questioned aloud as he walked Hinata home later on.

The night sky was clear and for once, it didn't feel as cold tonight even with the wind and spring beginning to approach.

Hinata blanched, shaking her head. Her toes felt sore from wearing her fancier blue high heels to be impressive. And for what? Nothing had come out of this…

"Well, at least Fugaku said they would hold more meetings throughout next week to discuss it more in detail. They have more years in business than us and are older…hopefully he, Jiraiya, and father can work something out." She mentioned.

Naruto nodded, wrapping an arm around her as they turned a corner known for less streetlights.

Club 81 was still in jeopardy and there was nothing much they could do about it for now.

-X-

Over the next few days, neither Naruto nor Hinata here any news back regarding Club 81.

It's frustrating, annoying, and hard to come to terms with so they focus their priorities back towards studying and goals past graduation.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell with all the crap that's been going on! Guess where of all places I got offered a job?!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

Hinata glanced up from her notebook, humming curiously. "Well, judging by how excited you are it has to be somewhere big I presume? Not the typical office firms?"

"Nope, city hall! Never thought you picture my name associated with there, huh? I know nothing's set it stone yet, but the basic description they gave me was that I could work with the mayor's team to investigate cases involving the public, cities Konoha networks with, and of course crime/safety relations." Naruto described.

Hinata beamed at his energy and continued gloating. "How did they hear about you, mainly knowing how your past usually makes people so wary?"

"You know, I've been wondering the same thing! Maybe granny and the old man put in a good word for me or something and gave me a recommendation?" Naruto considered, not that he really cared. He would work a range of law and political jobs until he reached seeing his dream of being mayor of the city one day possible.

"You're not the only one getting offers, Konoha's mainland hospital offered me a position to work with their nutrition/dietitian team. They even said they would provide me with cross training in some of the skills nurses and doctors assess for particularly in patients with malnutrition or eating disorders." Hinata related, laughing at the whoop he yelled out before he instantly got shushed.

They were after all, not the only people using the library at this time of the night trying to complete assignments.

Naruto glimpsed at the central clock by the entrance and sighed. "It's already approaching 10 pm, the library's going to close in an hour. Ready to get going?"

Hinata looked over her notes before nodding, packing everything back up as she followed him out. "By the way, how is your photography project coming along?"

Naruto shrugged, putting his hands behind his head at her expectant gaze. "Alright I suppose, it's harder to come up with captions and titles for each photo more so than I originally thought. I'll probably have to ask Sai for advice on it maybe?"

Hinata paled at the mention, Sai was the same person who recommended hanging a mural of their sex life in their rooms to express it to others who visited.

They went about taking their usual route home, broken up though by a man outside Naruto's complex. Hinata had no idea who the man was, but Naruto seemed to. Examining the man's ragged hair and busboy outfit until it clicked.

He was part of Club 81's waiting staff.

His brown eyes practically bugged out upon noticing them, hurriedly rushing over them. "Hey! You're Naruto right, the man who's been trying to coax Jiraiya to fix this ongoing ownership issues with the Hyuga, correct? Please tell he's taken care of everything by now or at least close to!

Naruto mutely nodded, sending Hinata a glance that it was okay to hear what he had to say.

The man exhaled slowly a few times, poorly attempting to keep the panic out of his voice. "Then why did he put up that posting all over the main doors of the entrance? I and my other coworkers sincerely believed him when he said this would've all been cleared up by now without it cutting into another one of our paychecks!"

They had no idea what he was talking about of course.

So they made a beeline back in the direction of the club to figure out exactly what he meant, reading the bold printed words again and again plastered all over the foremost windows and walls outside Club 81's entryways.

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

~x~

Yeah I was really indecisive last chapter Toneri last chapter, but it's the last you'll see of him; he was the only one I knew who could get under Hinata and Naruto's skin. Hinata just needed some rest you guys!' Lol, I think we've all at some point have overwhelmed ourselves. The next chapters now will be beginning to wrap up all final issues including some things everyone particularly wants to see happen! Heh Heh…

Thanks and shout-outs to Wondering Knight, Guests, lodol25, shero56, Breakthrough92, , Hime-Love-97, maxridelover, Elphaba818, nightwind83, cloudlover2989, Rose Tiger, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only for your feedback last chapter. Hopefully I'm answering your questions and not worrying you guys too much over how the rest of the story will play out.

Off topic: Have you guys ever had to deal with someone whether it be at school or work that annoys you like crazy with their comments or negativity, but you don't say anything to them about it because it would probably make them even more annoying?! Ugh, feels like that's what's been happened to me this past week and it bugged me enough that I had to ask considering my personality is a mix of Sakura and Hinata's and I don't know how to respond lol. Though on a more positive note, it hasn't distracted me


	16. Recover

Chapter 16: Recover

Knowing that Club 81 is indefinitely closed for the time being doesn't truly hit either of them at first.

At least until Hiashi and Jiraiya confirm it a couple of days later via a short phone call and text. They don't say much except that they would give out more details once further terms had been finalized with the Uchiha's and potentially other interested companies.

Naruto surprisingly takes a positive outlook on the manner; because it has to mean something that they're at any rate discussing the matter trying to reach some type of solution instead of doing nothing.

Hinata on the other hand is doubtful. 'Father usually isn't this quick to try and finish up a business deal; he must be planning something else…'

It's a gut instinct that continues to bother her for the rest of the week until she finally works up the nerve to go back to the manor and ask him in person over the weekend.

'He's in the middle of meditating.' Hinata observed, watching him sit cross legged by the side of the koi garden.

Wisteria and plum blossom petals planted by one of the many garden attendants have begun blooming in the spring air and stray petals fall around him as he sat with his eyes closed. She gently shifted to brush the fallen flower petals away before taking a seat next to him.

"What brings you by here?" Hiashi questioned, only opening one eye to look at her.

"I wanted to ask how things were going involving Club 81, we noticed the other night that it was closed until further notice and the employees are concerned about their income." Hinata stated.

Though really she wants more so to know why he seems to constantly want to frustrate her and those around her with his secrecy.

Hiashi arched a brow, turning to fully face her. He studied her weary lilac eyes carefully, as if waiting for her to say something else.

"Ah, is that all? I already told you over the phone we're still working on it." Hiashi confirmed. 'I want it to be a surprise when you know that I'm truly no longer a co-owner as you wished…though maybe this wasn't the best way to go about it.'

And as he expected, his silent message went unnoticed by her, knowing that she'll probably take his answer as being purposely ignorant of her feelings, annoyance briefly flickering across her features.

'Everything in that message was too cryptic.' Hinata thought, but she didn't bring that point up. He obviously wasn't going to give her any more specifics she wanted.

'I have to tell him why I really got sick in the hospital.' Hinata decided, taking in a long and slow breathe. Her heart thumped wildly at the just the idea of telling him, but if they were going to rebuild their relationship, she had to be honest with him and hopefully he would reciprocate doing the same to her.

"Um, asking you about Club 81 isn't the only reason I came here…I wanted to let you know why I really got so ill a few weeks ago. I got dehydrated and a stomach bug from not eating so well along with I was worried I was pregnant." Hinata admitted.

Hiashi's expression obscured any anger she expected to see, merely nodding for her to continue on.

"The results turned out to be negative, though I still felt so stressed to keep up with my schoolwork and my grades. I didn't want to disappoint myself, you, and the family…" Hinata trailed off, her voice was growing tight. Her whole body felt uncomfortable with this, a numb feeling creeping around her back to her legs.

But it did feel good to have all of that off her chest.

Hiashi inhaled sharply, a calm breeze blew by as he watched a few clouds pass over them and provide them with temporary shade. Even though Hinata hadn't minced her words to try and placate him, he could see her trying her best not to fidget awkwardly knowing that this was all out in the open.

"I'm not…I'm not mad you know. I know part of the reason was all the pressure I've constantly put on you throughout the years that's it's just been instilled in you to keep quiet about something like this. I know it's not easy for me to show my emotions, but I truly am sorry for what I've been putting you through." Hiashi explained and she stilled her movement.

'Is she going to get up and leave now?'

But when she looked him carefully up and down silently for seconds that seemed like hours to him, he beamed once she slowly moved to reach over and squeeze his hands.

"I forgive you father." Hinata smiled warmly, ignoring the part of her mind whispering that he still might not trust Naruto. However, she had seen his slight changes in attitude towards him lately and buried the worry with hope this wasn't a false alarm.

It couldn't be or else their relationship would really never be fixed.

Hiashi helped them to both stand up, keeping a firm hold on her hands as he guided them to the other side of the garden. "You're not in a hurry to go anywhere, are you? Do you want to help me feed the koi fish? You used to almost over-feed them all the time when you were a child."

Hinata giggled at his reminiscing, nodding her head as they approached the edge of the emerald blue water. Orange, white, and golden koi immediately began to swim up towards the edge eagerly for the fish pellets.

They nibbled at Hinata's fingers as she accepted more of the food from Hiashi's hand and dipped her hand into the pond once more. "But you know father, I'm not a child anymore."

He watched her continue to feed the fish, picturing for a moment right before his eyes her growing up from toddler to the young woman she was today.

'Yes, I know…'

-X-

"Ugh, who's bothering me on my day off?! Naruto slurred out sleepily, opening his blinds slowly to look outside.

Jiraiya continued to throw pebbles at his window, grinning as he finally cracked open the window. "About time you got up! It's already almost 10:30 am and I've been throwing these rocks for 15 minutes now!"

Naruto grunted, scratching his messy hair as he caught one of the rocks and threw it back at him. "Hey, I'm allowed to sleep in when I don't have any classes today! What the hell do you want anyways?"

Jiraiya fake pouted at his words before a sly smirk came onto his face. "Fine, be that way and keep sleeping…I guess you don't want to hear about the news I have involving Club 81."

That instantly woke him up.

'This ought to be good.' Naruto mused, rubbing his eyes of his sleepiness and sauntering off to the bathroom to change.

Though when he stepped outside to finally greet him, Jiraiya had already moved on to flirting with one of the residents attempting to get past him.

Naruto took his time approaching them, hiding a devilish grin as an idea came to him. "Geez grandpa, don't bother the other tenants that live here!"

The sour look on the woman's face slightly relaxed at his appearance, smoothing out the sore hand she had used to slap him. "Oh, you're this guy's grandson? Ugh and I was wondering why this creep was loitering around here trying to use pick-up lines on the other woman walking out. You should keep a better eye on him!"

She sent one last scoff towards Jiraiya and pressed out the wrinkles in her pink sundress before carrying on her way to the sidewalk.

Naruto simply shrugged, ignoring the furious glare on him. "Well, that takes care of that! Tell me what big news you had now; we can discuss it over ramen at Ichiraku's!"

"Excuse me, are you just going to pretend you didn't just call me grandpa?! I mean why not use the words godfather or mentor? Those are more acceptable terms and what I actually am to you that won't make me sound like I'm an old freak!" Jiraiya protested.

"But you are an old freak or pervert if you prefer to be called that." Naruto retorted.

And he shrugged off this rest of his complaining, yawning as he started ahead. Jiraiya huffed and eventually moved to catch up with him up.

"Perfect day, isn't it? It's finally not too hot or cold outside." Naruto spoke up, enjoying the warm drafts drifting by.

Jiraiya nodded, waving to some shopkeepers as they headed into the main hub of the city. "So, I've got some good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

'Lately I've been hearing mainly bad so…' "Give me the good; I want to keep being happy for a little longer before something ruins it."

Jiraiya plopped down in his usual seat at Ichiraku's, nodding towards Teuchi to give them their usual. "I figured you would say that. Hiashi gave up his position as co-owner at Club 81 fully."

Naruto blinked; Jiraiya didn't seem like he was kidding about such a statement.

"What?! When did he decide on that and why?!" Naruto sputtered.

Jiraiya shrugged, opening his chopsticks as their bowls arrived. "You'd have to ask him. He came to me about close to a week ago and said after thinking about it for a while he no longer wants to be a part of the industry. He even returned all the signed paperwork and documents showing he was resigning from the spot."

Around a week ago was around the time when Hiashi had first sent Hinata the phone call and text notifying them that they were still working out the plans involving Club 81. If he had already met with Jiraiya at that point or soon after, why hadn't he told either of them about this since then?

It was too important of a fact for him to have simply overlooked.

"Something isn't adding up…" Naruto commented, slurping at his noodles a bit slower.

"I'll say, I asked my friends and those in my undercover circuit to take a deeper look into Hiashi's other companies and why he would suddenly just decide to do this especially knowing it would allow a rival company to take his place, but they couldn't track or find any reason as to why he gave it up except that it was a personal matter behind it." Jiraiya related.

Naruto's frown deepened over hearing that. 'Not even Jiraiya's best spies know what's going on in that man's head.'

"Alright, well give me the bad news now." Naruto grumbled after gulping down a piece of pork.

Jiraiya chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "Well, I wouldn't per say call it 'bad', but the Uchiha's and I haven't really properly come to a percentage we can all agree; I'm still trying to decide how to make sure I'm happy with the results! Additionally, I sort of had to close the club so I can properly fix this for real and some vandals have been loitering around the club lately scaring people."

Naruto felt like hitting his head against the table at all those issues. 'Damn it, I have an idea of who's probably behind that last problem…'

"Oh come on, it's not all that bad Naruto! I mean, some of my friends from other clubs have already helped me pay off half of some of the debts I owed. It's only the matter of the fact the club is becoming stagnant in sales…I at least think by working with the Uchiha's Club 81 will be recognized in more cities I've rarely ever visited!" Jiraiya chimed, reaching over to ruffle his hair gently.

Naruto sighed deeply, inclining his head against his palm. "Why do you think that is though? I mean besides those petty criminals scaring away some of your business it was only a few months ago when Hinata and I went there that it seemed you basically had sold out shows every night."

"More nightclubs just started sprouting up is all; at times it's been hard to compete with them when they started bringing in celebrities and well-known figures from other cities for one night events. Not that I couldn't do those things either since I'm well known enough, but I've spent more in trying to up everyone's salaries." Jiraiya described.

'I have to get Sasuke to get his dad to come around somehow about creating a deal and soon, Jiraiya is acting aloof about it, but I know he's bothered by what options they might give him…unless this matter has already been taken care of too without me knowing.' Naruto pondered.

Because he couldn't put it past Jiraiya that he was simply messing with him and not wanting him to worry about this telling by the goofy grin he continued to send him.

They went strolling around the city some more once they paid their bill to burn off the food, Jiraiya persuading them to go to the park.

"I've been meaning to ask you after all this was taken care of, but is Hinata expecting?" Jiraiya asked, stopping at a park bench to rest.

Naruto paused, it was an innocent question though it still made his stomach clench at the memory. 'NEGATIVE…'

"Err, not today." He eventually said.

And felt like the couple that walked by was teasing him as the words left his mouth, stroller in tow while he turned his head down towards the cobblestone pavement to avoid their possible stares.

It was frustrating how much one result could still be bothering him.

'See and you thought it would be easy to just forget that screw ups like you can't just easily accomplish your goals…' Menma's words mocked him.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head to block out the sound of his biting laugh.

'I didn't think he actually wanted to be a dad, especially at his age.' Jiraiya realized, grimacing at having brought up the sour topic without knowing.

"Hey, don't get all mopey on me about it! Hinata and I both already know you'll be a great dad! Besides, you should graduate and find a good job so you can properly raise however many kids you two decide to have!" Jiraiya pointed out.

Naruto abruptly perked up as if he had remembered something, snapping his fingers.

"Ah, that reminds me! It was you who gave me that recommendation for that job in city hall; didn't think I would find out; did you?" Naruto exclaimed.

Jiraiya had perplexed look though, cocking his head in confusion. "I did? I think I would remember doing something like that!"

Naruto's arched a brow, questioning him again until he gave him a serious no and going by his mention of his recent talks with Tsunade, it wasn't her either.

'If it wasn't Jiraiya or Tsunade, then who else would've have been willing to give me one?'

He dwelled on it briefly until his mind decided the task wasn't as important as going to find Sasuke, pushing it to the back of his thoughts.

-X-

"Things have to be settled now. No more waiting or mind games." Naruto decided, striding towards Sasuke's apartment.

He was going to wait until Hinata finished her grocery shopping, but then his impatience grows and she gives him the go ahead to confront him on the final decisions his company has made and if he can persuade him otherwise on anything else.

It's annoying though that his apartment just had to be on the ritzier side of the city. Gated communities lined fresh paint with picturesque views of the horizon along with the newest designs to structure each buildings are used to promote the area for any visiting high officials or tourists seeking a mini hideaway.

'Ugh, I hate being over here.' Naruto thought, disregarding the snobbish stares of residents out and about as he approached Sasuke's door and knocked.

He really hoped he was there or else he would have to endure more upset looks and whispers from his neighbors on the walk back to the security gate at the front.

Sasuke answers before he even gets to the second knock.

"Why are you bothering me?" He questioned; his hair oddly disorderly and lack of sleep evident going by the slight redness in the corner of his eyes.

"I wanted to know in person your company's ultimate decisions with Club 81! Fess up, I know you guys are trying to take too high of a cut; aren't you?!" Naruto demanded, smirking at his groan as he stepped aside to let him.

"By the way, you look like shit. I thought I should let you know just in case you went outside looking like that telling by what kind of neighbors you have." Naruto added, taking a seat on his tan sofa. He didn't hear Sakura come out to greet him so she was either back at her own place, in class, or taking her shift at the clinic.

"You should take your own advice." Sasuke remarked back, heading towards to kitchen to warm up his leftover coffee from breakfast.

Because Naruto definitely wasn't going to leave any time soon without the answers he wanted and he had to be more awake to deal with him.

"Ick, I don't know how you and Sakura drink that stuff." Naruto stated, observing him chug down at least half the cup.

Sasuke shrugged, smirking as he set the cup down on the table. "We need it in order to stand being around you."

Naruto paid that comment no mind, reaching for a business magazine next to his cup. The top feature on the front cover highlighted the best 10 power companies of the region. He flipped through it to see the list, mildly surprised that the Hyuga corporations placed higher than his.

"What you're old man say about this? I'm sure it didn't sit well with him." Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke shrugged, tossing the magazine aside. "That's old."

Naruto frowned, subtly checking the magazine's issue date in the corner. 'It's from this month…'

But there was no need to really bring that up considering Sasuke's current mood.

"If I tell you what our final actions are at will you let me go back to sleep? I've been stuck in meetings all this week going over that on top of trying to finish all my regular schoolwork." Sasuke regarded, making him snap his eyes away from the discarded publication.

"Yeah, sure. Better be good news though since your Dad said he was letting you make the final decision." Naruto replied, leaning in closer.

They studied each other carefully in silence; Naruto's demeanor had quickly become stern, blue eyes narrowed and awaiting his response.

"Since Hiashi gave up his co-ownership of the club, we're going to step in. We'll probably going start out with a 50-50 percentage wise and decrease it as time goes on if Jiraiya hasn't already explained that to you. I believe we can start increasing the club's sales once our company starts the process of helping them build up in their tourism prospects and possibly move into international sites in other regions." Sasuke clarified.

Naruto looked completely lost and Sasuke grunted at how slow he could be sometimes.

"Fine, in layman's terms we'll help Jiraiya more in getting his club in places beyond Konoha like in Suna, Kumo, Kiri, Iwa, etcetera. He may have smaller clubs already built there, but I'm sure Club 81 is the main one he wants to use to get his name out there." Sasuke broke down.

'So Jiraiya had already fixed everything into place already…why didn't he just tell me that earlier?!' Naruto realized, a smile inching up his face. He shoulder muscles relaxed, noting Jiraiya probably knew he was going to go ask Sasuke for confirmation anyways.

"And you're sure you really have to do a 50-50 deal? I mean, that's a lot for starting out." Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded. "Well if Jiraiya is adamant about fixing things. Nothing more and nothing less really though changes to the percentage can be made at any point is what Jiraiya wanted."

No wonder Jiraiya was so carefree about this then; he still had the last say whenever he wanted.

"Happy now?" Sasuke regarded, breaking him from his musings.

Naruto nodded, grinning at the small sleepy smile he gave in return. He could leave his place for once this time without making some snarky remark.

"Great, now get out already."

-X-

"Naruto stop bugging him; you said he wanted to get some sleep. I think you got all your questions answered already anyways." Hinata suggested from his side.

It had been a good idea to invite Hinata over for the night once she finished taking care of her shopping and chores, in the midst of it all he had forgotten to ask Sasuke if Hiashi ever gave a reason for giving up his portion.

Naruto grunted, throwing his phone back down into the recesses of his couch. Sasuke would only get pissed at him and stop talking to him if he kept trying to call him.

Not that he didn't do that typically most of the time already.

"Anyways, you can catch him tomorrow when he gets out of class. I'm more curious as to why you invited me over. You said Jiraiya also told you something important involving my dad?" Hinata inquired, sitting up from leaning against his shoulder.

'Dad? That's the first time I've heard her use the more affectionate common phrase.' Naruto thought, arching an eyebrow.

Hinata reddened, understanding his puzzlement. "I-I've started to reconnect better with him. He apologized sincerely; I even ate dinner with everyone last night and spent some time studying there with Neji and Hanabi."

Naruto beamed as she talked fervently about the many things she had missed out on and caught up on with her family and the attendants, opalescent eyes enlivened and bright the further she went on.

Speaking of Hiashi though, he definitely had some explaining to do about his sudden departure from Club 81.

"Hinata, during any of these past times that you've been meeting with your dad and family has the subject of the club come up at any point?" Naruto pressed.

Hinata pursed her lips, thinking back carefully over each conversation they had. "Hmm…well I did ask him the first time I came over about it, but he never gave me a proper answer. Why?"

"Jiraiya said he fully relinquished his ownership, he showed me a bit of his paperwork to prove it too." Naruto commented.

A mix of emotions passed through her face as she took in his words. Surprise, shock, anger, joy, but the one that stood out the most to made him uneasy.

Sad.

"What? How long ago did this happen?!" Hinata asked sharply and he frowned as the happiness in her eyes rapidly started to fade the more her mind dwelled on it.

'Why wouldn't he tell me about this? Is this another thing he was trying to keep from me for as long as possible?!' Her thoughts screamed.

"I don't know for certain, he said it was around maybe late last week now that he approached him and said he had no need to be a co-owner anymore and wasn't benefitting the club in anyway." Naruto explained.

Hinata balled up her fists into his plush couch, anger simmering. "So he's been knowing all of this and even sent a phone call saying they were still trying to work things out when in reality he had already come to a decision with everyone?"

The acidity of her tone made Naruto hold his hands up playful defense. "Whoa now, I'm just a messenger Hinata! We would have to ask him for sure on all this, but don't let this make things awkward between you two all over again. Hiashi isn't the type of person to hand out apologies like you brought up after all."

Hinata breathed, flustering at the realization of just how quickly provoked she had become.

'I have to hear dad's…or father's side of the story on this.' Hinata concluded, resting her head into Naruto's chest.

"Do you want to see if Sasuke can tell us anything else before we consider paying him a visit together?" Naruto muttered against the shell of her ear and she shivered before shaking her head.

Going to anybody who didn't know the full details of why he did this would be pointless.

They had to go directly to him.

But it's late and neither of them really wants to discuss it for the rest of the night, moving on to happier topics and getting ready for bed.

Naruto's light snoring awakens her the following morning, making Hinata shift from it along with the sunlight coming in out of the corner of her eye. The process inadvertently gets her a blended scent of the mint shampoo remnants Naruto used to shower with last night along with his morning breathe.

Her neck aches from doing the twisted movements that came with sleeping on his chest instead of a pillow.

And a bed.

'I don't even remember falling asleep here.' Hinata recalled, she knew Naruto had a habit of waiting for her fall asleep first before he doused off, thus she had hoped he would have taken them back to his bedroom before he passed out too.

She stifled a yawn as he stirred at her movement, subconsciously tugging her closer to not fall off their tiny shared space on the couch or leave.

Probably the latter though.

"Going somewhere?" Naruto mused, azure eyes opening just enough to keep an amused look on her. Particularly when she couldn't get out of his grip on her.

Hinata twisted to hover over him fully, pleased at the brief confusion he expressed when she smirked. "Will a morning kiss get us both up and moving?"

A lazy smirk slowly washed over his features, silently testing her. "Yeah, where at?"

She merely hummed in response, purposefully rubbing up against his growing arousal. Her pink lips began to darken as her pearl eyes turned downward, sliding an index finger through the hem of his black boxers.

And then in one swift motion she reached down instead to peck his lips and pull away.

"Alright let's get going, we can't sit here all day!" Hinata chirped, getting up and moving towards his bedroom.

'I should've been more specific…' Naruto berated himself, not moving for a moment at his stiffness.

But Hinata was waiting outside his bathroom door as he trudged in slowly and he paused; focusing on her flushed cheeks and playful grin. "I figured it was a bit too mean to tease you and leave you."

Naruto felt his own face get heated at where her stare went specifically. "Oh, don't worry! Heh, a good 5 minute shower will get rid of this!"

Hinata's face heated even more, taking a step forward. Fingers this time truly trail underneath his boxers to his length and he grunts, pushing into her hand the faster she goes.

"...Are you sure you don't want my help?" She murmured softly, pulling her hand away. It's sticky and coated with his fluid and he struggles to catch his breath as she tastes him, eyes never leaving his.

5 minutes easily becomes an hour as he gladly lets Hinata into the shower with him.

'Is that knocking?' Hinata wondered, patting her legs dry while Naruto finishes rinsing his hair. They had locked the door leading into the bathroom and it's hard to really focus with the steam from the shower still filling the air and fogging the mirrors.

KNOCK, KNOCK! It comes much louder this time, sufficient enough for both her and Naruto to give each other curious stares.

"Nobody ever usually bothers me this early in the day." Naruto huffed, walking back into his room. He rummaged for the first clean shirt and pants he finds on top of one of his many piles and heads out.

It takes a while for his mind to process who exactly it is behind the door, but he opens it slightly anyways.

"Naruto, who's at the door?" Hinata's soft voice echoes into the living room from back his bathroom and he restrains groaning back the answer.

"Your father."

-X-

Hinata poured herself another glass of tea while in the kitchen, stirring it a bit too long to get all the cream and sugar she added to fully dissolve.

Her mind had gone into overdrive to find a decent pair of clothes amongst Naruto's mass of laundry when he repeated Hiashi was indeed here. Settling in the end for an oversized grey t-shirt he had won at a raffle years ago and red sweatpants that hung loosely around her hips.

"Better than nothing." She whispered to her embarrassed reflection in the cup.

Meanwhile, Naruto was being rather polite despite another awkward situation involving her family in some form or fashion. By now though it's been happening so often she should've been used to it as well.

"…I wanted to save you two the trouble of looking for me by coming straight to you. I wasn't exactly sure Hinata would be here though." Hiashi began, smiling reassuringly as he accepted the cup from Hinata's trembling hands.

Naruto shrugged, munching on a freshly heated bagel from the toaster. "It's no problem sir; you came at the right time before you saw worse. I didn't know you knew where I lived though."

Hiashi downed his drink his tad faster to avoid choking at his implication before sending him an odd look. "Everyone knows where you live."

"Father or err Dad, Naruto told me you gave up your ownership of Club 81? Why haven't you told me such big news in all the times I've been visiting the manor?" Hinata exclaimed.

Hiashi set his cup back down on the table, unclenching and clenching his hands against the wooden frame.

"Well, I was attempting to make it be a surprise for you two, though that didn't exactly work out by how you reacted. In other ways, I wanted to wait until things were completely clear with the Uchiha's even though at this time with me backing out has probably caused him to finish things with Jiraiya privately without needing my input." He described.

Hinata simply nodded, fighting down the boiling ache in her chest that she found this all out mostly by word of mouth from Naruto.

Instead of directly hearing it from him like it should've been.

"If I may cut in, why did you make this out of the blue decision? You're not the type of man to give up a business deal; especially if it was one working out in your favor." Naruto spoke up, threading his words casually.

Hiashi chuckled, uncrossing his arms at his peculiar grin. "True, I don't. How interesting of you to notice."

'He's definitely grown a lot more than I've realized.'

But he still found it slightly hard to adjust to see how close the two were sitting next to each other, images of Hinata's time in the hospital rushing to mind at her laughter, giggling and…

Genuine bright smiles she reserved only for Naruto.

"I can be the bigger man and admit I was wrong to make such a hasty decision gaining co-ownership of the club for the all the wrong reasons. You two are adults and reserve the right to do as you please on your own time without me interfering on it." He confessed.

"Does that mean…you won't fight our relationship anymore?" Hinata questioned, excitement slipping into her voice more than she wanted.

And she practically pounced out of her chair to hug him when he nodded again.

'About time. Wish I knew who or what it was that finally let him see the light.' Naruto considered, watching the scene play out.

"Thank you father, or ah dad for breaking off your claim and accepting my relationship with Naruto." Hinata murmured repetitively. Hiashi shook his head, wiping at the tears brimming in her eyes.

"You can keep calling me father if that makes you more comfortable; I don't mind." He stated, pulling away and directing his attention to Naruto for a moment.

He gulped, frowning at his intense glare until it softened. He started to quickly mouth out a sentence while Hinata was still turned away from them. Take care of her please; make up for all the happiness that I've taken from her over these years.

Naruto read his lips considerably a few times to make sure he understood it before mouthing out I will in reply, giving a thumbs up and confident grin to go along with it.

It's an understanding between the two Naruto never imagined they could have.

"Graduation is coming faster than you two think, so keep working hard. Particularly you Naruto, I put in that good word at the city hall for a reason." Hiashi mentioned, once Hinata eased back into her original spot not knowing what they had just conversed.

This time it looks like Naruto is the one about to jump him for a hug.

"Wait, you were the one who put in a good recommendation for me?! You didn't bribe them or something, did you?" Naruto cried out.

Hiashi scoffed indignantly at his assumption. "No, of course not! Your grades and changed behavior are what got you the job opening, and maintaining it should get you the position fully."

'I never really thought anyone besides Jiraiya for the most part had such high expectations of me…' Blinking in disbelief and wonder before he relaxed and grinned with warmth and trust.

So many people now believed in him.

A smile too quirked along Hiashi's face and for once, all of them were sitting together happy and not hiding something from each other.

"So…does this mean I can start calling you dad now too?" Naruto emphasized, rolling the 'dad' off his own tongue slowly with a bright grin.

Hiashi scrunched up his face, usual stern expression returning. "No, it doesn't."

~x~

I went back and forth with Hiashi's reactions, he's not the easiest person to write but it will be funny writing out more of his interactions with Naruto like he's a new member of the family ha ha! Thanks/Shout-outs to shero56, maxridelover, Rose Tiger. C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, guests, Elphaba818, cloudlover2989, and WindyCitySlayer1 for your feedback last chapter and all my readers for following along!

Off-topic- You're advice last chapter guys was great thanks for that! It won't be the last time one of my classmates or co-workers annoys the hell out of me, but hey I still got fan fiction for a good de-stressor! Lol.


	17. Unfinished

Chapter 17: Unfinished

Did all good things really have to come to an end?

'Yes, because it's me.' Naruto's thoughts replied sullenly for him. He could drown out the noise of Club 81's dance and techno beats to celebrate their comeback and even the usual squeals and grunts that came from the room upstairs…

But he couldn't ignore the dark pair of eyes watching him from across the room since he had entered.

'Looks like my past is finally catching up with me.' Naruto determined, flinching at a light grip suddenly on his hands.

"Naruto, are you okay? You haven't said much since this revival party started and you were the one who helped to bring this all back!" Hinata questioned in rapid succession, attempting to speak loudly over the blast of music.

He barely managed to make out her voice, lighter than normal and slurred enough that when he didn't respond fast enough she settled for snuggling into his shoulder while swaying to the music slowly.

Jiraiya must've thought it would be funny to switch her drink earlier when they had first came in.

'At least she's not drawing any attention to herself like back when she was wearing that little black dress from when she had her birthday and I know she'll be safe with me next to her.' Naruto regarded, wrapping her closer until she squeaked and halfheartedly tried to push him back.

He laughed and he leaned down towards to peck her drunken lips. Hinata's cheeks grew a darker shade of red even with the influence of alcohol already in her, lilac eyes briefly going wide before she giggled and pecked him back.

Across the room, the man who had been staring him down got up to leave, but not before pointedly gazing towards the back entry of the club.

It was an invitation to either meet with him later over there or pretend he never saw him.

He went for imagining he saw nothing.

Jiraiya sauntered up to their table moments later, cocktail in one hand and a woman who appeared to be one of the baristas in the other.

"Hey, you two enjoying yourselves?! It's all thanks to you this is happening after all! You guys should be up enjoying the shows or dancing; not sitting here wasting away!" He complained.

Naruto shook his head, emphasizing Hinata's half asleep form on his shoulder. "I think we're going to have to call it a night pretty soon; its approaching 2 am."

Jiraiya looked between the pair amusingly for a minute before winking and walking away. "Sure, it's 'late' as you say! Well, I won't stop you from using whatever code words you like to use when you want to get out of here; don't let me or anyone else get in the way of your fun!"

'He should head home as well after throwing these events all week.' Naruto snorted, noting the strains of sleepiness he was fighting so hard to suppress. Particularly when the barista on his arm strolled away from him when he wasn't looking back towards a crowd more around her age.

Wrinkles and blood shot eyes weren't attractive to anyone.

But he could understand why Jiraiya wanted to continue the festivities so much. After keeping his workers out of the loop involving Club 81's problems and even closing down the nightclub for a week to properly settle things, he wanted to quickly get back into the high spirits and sexual energy the club had been known for since opening with the ideas and funding the Uchiha's and other companies gave him.

And what better way to do that than to revel in the fun of a week themed each night with one of the seven deadly sins?

"Naruto, we're not doing a good job of fulfilling tonight's theme of lust…" She hummed lightly into his shoulder, nibbling her way up towards his ear.

He shifted one hand to ruffle her hair while the other reached for the hand going under the table towards his jeans. "Hmm, I think you're doing a better job at being greedy right now for more than you can handle in your state of mind!"

Hinata pouted at his teasing, but allowed him to gently hoist her onto his shoulders and carry her out. Her breathing began to ease as the cool night air hit her to help rid of the mist of cigarettes and booze they had been around.

"We'll head to my place since its closer and I know where I packed away the medicine I just stored up on. You'll have a pretty bad hangover in the morning, but good thing Kiba told me a recipe that helps ease the pain during the first 24 hours." Naruto advised.

"Okay…next time I definitely can't let Jiraiya to persuade me to trade drinks without thinking he spiked it in some way." Hinata murmured, lazily clicking at her black flats that she had worn for the outing.

'I should've been paying more attention, if I had she wouldn't be feeling this woozy.' Naruto thought with a frown.

He'd just have to tear up Jiraiya's magazines and so called 'research' sooner rather than later to get even.

Hinata coughed, the vodka and lime mix still simmering in the back of her throat. She buried her head deeper into Naruto's back to ignore the dulling pain starting to come as a thought dazedly stuck out to her.

"Hey Naruto, you never answered my earlier question…what had you so distracted all night?

Blue steely eyes mirroring his own came back to mind before he immediately pushed the image away, not wanting to Hinata to worry.

"Nothing really, just thought I saw somebody I knew from a long time ago on the other side of the club."

"Ah…he could've introduced himself if he still remembered you, but then again maybe it's been too long and he might've mistook you for someone else." Hinata sleepily suggested.

'It hasn't been long enough.' Naruto scowled, adjusting his hold on her when it seemed she might slip off.

He couldn't keep this part of his past buried for too much longer.

-X-

Naruto found it extremely daunting to not wake up Hinata while she rests and he's wide awake.

No amount of late night reruns on TV, warm milk, or vigorous exercises is making him tired enough to relax and lay down peacefully next to her.

And every time he stops and pauses from doing one activity, it allows his mind to get drawn back to old photo albums and pictures he's tucked away out of site all because he got a reminder of the past by seeing Menma tonight.

Eventually, it all becomes too hard of a distraction to ignore.

'Man, I haven't looked at this in years…' Naruto realized. Pictures of his childhood are few and far between blurry memories of back when his parents were alive; often away on military service or duties.

After only flipping through a couple of pages though of seeing his parents' bright smiles does his stomach twist as the recollections become painful, turning the pages faster until he came upon happier ones during his earlier days of dating Hinata.

Her face is flushed as she bends in close to him to be properly in the photo while he brightly holds up his phone to capture them when they're out of class early one day.

His smile slips as he watches the shadow of a figure looming in the corner of the photo, obviously waiting for Hinata to leave.

"Fake."

At least, that was one of the few nicknames he remembered he used to lightheartedly refer to Menma and vice versa, since most of their later encounters he preferred more colorful language. For someone who eerily looked like his mirror image save for his blonde dyed black hair, they couldn't have been so vastly different from each other.

But then again, no one else really understood why he used to do such petty crimes besides Hinata the way he did.

The fact that he had come to Club 81 meant he knew about his interactions using the club's amenities and probably wanted to stake a raid on all the new fancy décor that had been donated or purchased for the renovations. Robberies had been easy way to make money when they worked together after all, being relatively splitting images of each other meant one could do the break in and run while the other gave an alibi to the police to throw them off the other's trail; taking turns each time at different locations.

It was fun, quick, and fast to do for the both of them until…

He fell in love.

'Seriously, you're choosing to keep this ongoing thing with the first girl who said she actually wants to keep going out with you?!' Menma had snapped when he confronted him on ending their spree of thefts.

'You don't fucking understand! Hinata's one of the only people who doesn't seem to care that I'm not rich, that I'm loud, or that I don't make the best grades. Even after she found out about the things I've stolen and done, she still believed I could be a good person…and I won't let her down doing by continuing to do this!' He spat back.

They stopped talking shortly after that.

Menma lived a pampered life anyways, what did he really have to complain about anyways? A caring family to come home to every night and friends who adored and looked towards him for advice and guidance not knowing the type of person he truly was behind closed doors?

And yet, he took it all for granted and mostly liked to test just how far he could get away with things.

Tonight made that very clear. He himself had made his choice and gone home with Hinata, though that didn't mean Menma intended to leave him alone or not do anything simply because of that.

"So why is here in Konoha again is what I can't figure out? Does he intend to do something to Club 81 or-"Naruto paused in his mumbling, freezing up.

"Hinata?" He finished, gritting his teeth.

Menma was the last part of his past he had yet to fix, ignoring it and running away from it whenever it got brought up. If he could fix things with Hiashi, bring the club back to its former vigor, and be on his way to graduating from college, then it was time to settle all scores with him as well.

He sighed, tucking himself into bed to force himself to sleep. He felt Hinata shift into his warmth and he smiled, brushing strands of her dark hair away from her face.

'I hope I don't regret this plan that's coming to mind.'

-X-

"It's cold." Hinata murmured to herself, hardly peeking one eye open to look around. It was still nightfall, moonlight seeping in through the slits in the blinds nearby. Her head instantly throbbed the moment she made a slight movement to turn over, one hand searching for Naruto's presence amongst the sheets.

'Where is he?'

She was sure she had gone out with Naruto to celebrate Club 81's grand reopening and then discussed some random topics with him and some other people before everything became a muddled mess of memories.

Naruto's blankets were over her, but it felt much chillier not having his arms around her especially with the blowing of his air conditioner close by.

Her thoughts continued to run through options, slowly becoming more frantic until she heard the distinct flush of a toilet nearby.

"Oh, that's where he was." She murmured under her breathe, thankful for the darkness to hide how hot her face felt from immediately jumping to the worse conclusions.

"You okay?" Hinata drowsily asked just as Naruto lazily strewn one arm again over her stomach. He paused for a second, fingers drawing circles around the spot as he silently nodded into her back.

"Are you sure?" She repeated, voice scratchy, but more awake than before. Naruto squeezed her tighter in return, breathing growing heavy with uneasiness.

So he sat up, turning on his bedside lamp. A yellow glow filled the room and Hinata squinted to slowly let her eyes adjust to the stream of light.

"You remember Menma, right? I have to resolve everything with him before graduation." Naruto explained, adamantly staring straight ahead.

The sleep in Hinata's expression quickly disappeared.

"And why is that?" She questioned, keeping her tone even.

It had to have been him Naruto mentioned seeing at the club her thoughts managed to recall. Her fingers tightened against the bedspread, knowing where Naruto's thoughts had already gone.

Because if Menma was going to become a danger to others, Naruto would put a stop to him.

'I'll help him in any way I can so he doesn't jeopardize his future goals. Menma can be quite crafty, but it's nothing we can't handle if weigh all our options out carefully.' Hinata immediately planned out.

"Don't worry Hinata, I'm not going to let him do anything to the club or you because I've come up with a plan to make him think I haven't changed." Naruto explained.

He didn't bother to hide the thin veil of a smirk running across his features.

"Sounds risky." Hinata countered, leaning her head against her palm.

"Maybe…but you'll be helping me out, right? This will be the final standoff to clear the air between us before he tries to damage my life or others again and…and it will hopefully help get rid of these negative self-thoughts that occasionally nag at me." Naruto explained.

Hinata's eyes softened, scooting over in the bed closer to him. Naruto squirmed, but didn't move away.

'Ugh, I hate sounding so uncool and fragile in front of her!'

But as usual, his muscles relaxed at the familiarity of her warmth and he slowly let go of this building tension he'd been keeping in for so long.

That he wasn't good enough for her or wouldn't be able to protect her.

"Naruto, you've done so much for not just me, your friends, but total strangers as well! If Menma or even anyone thinks those aren't accomplishments, then they're not worth worrying over." Hinata murmured into his shoulder.

Naruto chuckled, cobalt eyes shifting between her and his sheets. "Yeah, sometimes it's just hard for me to remember."

Nonetheless, they couldn't keep dancing around the topic that they both knew was coming.

'Menma is part of the reason Naruto has such difficulty moving beyond his delinquent days, annoyingly trying to remind him of how much people ignored him and push him back into the depths of self-loathing…'

"What do you think he'll do next if we do nothing?" Hinata murmured into the rising silence. Naruto scratched his chin, shrugging his shoulders. There were many things a vindictive or bored man could do with a lot free time on his hands. Would he try to burn Club 81 down to spite all his efforts? Or maybe persuade him to come back and be his ally in breaking the law with cruel blackmail or threats?

He couldn't put any of the ideas past him knowing what they had already done before together.

"…I don't even want to think about it."

-X-

By Monday, Naruto is getting strange looks again.

And not the typical mean mugs or pretending he's invisible stares he's been used to seeing so many times before. They're excited and whispering his name giddily; eyes almost immediately meeting his as soon as he looks in their direction or sending him thumbs up.

Kiba's stare is the oddest out of all of them though, removing his hands from his grey coat to give him a pointed gaze as he stops his discussion with Shino next to him.

"Hey, weren't you just at the student center a minute ago blabbering about some plan to have the 'party to end all parties' with Club 81 involved for a pre-graduation celebration?! It sounded cool; you and Jiraiya have been really been going all out for that place, huh?" Kiba chimed, jabbing his sides suggestively at themes he could use.

Naruto felt his stomach drop, the beginnings of a cold sweat coming over him.

'Jiraiya and I had no such idea planned with all the stuff he's already done, which means…oh shit! His thoughts raced.

"I'm not sure if it matters to you now, but I found it strange how bold you were with such statements. Even for you, making such claims that it would a be a major night that would last in people's memories forever; bad or good sounds a bit farfetched and strange." Shino added in.

Naruto gulped, swallowing down the ire threatening to show on his face. "Excuse me guys, I have to get going."

He didn't bother to wait for their responses, rushing ahead to head towards where they had apparently saw 'him.' The common places students hang out around the center are empty by the time he gets there though, only the slight sound of footsteps fading off in the distance.

"Damn it, why didn't I see this coming?! Of course he would pretend to pose as me in order to goad me to into meeting up with him!" Naruto hissed to himself quietly.

And of course he was drawing others into his ruse as well.

"If you didn't want me to charade as being you then you could've just met with me when I first put it forward towards you back at Club 81. You shouldn't be mad at me though, look how much I've boosted your popularity in the span of a few hours by making that announcement!" Menma scoffed from his side.

Naruto tightened and untightened his hands at just hearing the sarcasm lacing his tone, he hadn't changed at all. Remnants of faded black hair dye still in his now regular blonde hair clashed with his cold and empty eyes. He arched a brow at his glare before smirking and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Aren't you going to say something to me considering it's been so long; I'm still your friend, right? Your twin?" Menma joked.

"…Why are you doing this? Coming back here to this city to cause mayhem when you know I've put that all behind me?" Naruto grunted.

Menma harshly laughed, bitter chuckling echoing into the quiet halls surrounding them. "Well, you can't really blame me, can you? When I heard the rumors who were actually helping out others I just had to see for myself if you've truly loss your thrill for a good steal or fight in choice of being another 9 to 5 salaryman."

He paused for a moment though as he finished his statement, drawing out his phone and revealing hideous haunting images of battered opponents he had faced before. Blue and purple bruises aligned their faces, blood splattered around their unconscious forms.

Mementos of past brawls were being shown to him like trophies.

"Remember the rush you got out of these fights? Blood and sweat on your fingers…I know you can't have completely forgotten about it considering your little scuffles with guys that get to close to Hinata. Like Toneri?"

'Even know, he knew how to boil at his emotions as if nothing at all has changed…'

Naruto clenched his teeth, keeping his breathing steady. It was obvious he was baiting him to fight him here and now to get potentially expelled or wanted him to loudly demand him for answers to the message he had proclaimed earlier to anybody who still happened to be within earshot.

His heart thumped anxiously in his ears and he worried briefly that he could hear it too and then know the truth.

That he was afraid.

Not necessarily of having to get into a rumble with him, because fights were simple and he had once been too accustomed to using his fists first before trying to reason or talk with anyone.

But doing that now would be too much of a risk, Hinata's smile came to mind along with this plan they and their friends had been so carefully creating over the past couple of days, riding on the fact he wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Let's take this outside then." Naruto eventually said.

He could tell Menma was following him, keeping in step with him as he directed them to the outskirts of the older buildings of the campus where classes were hardly held any more. It was windier than usual and he sighed at the brief scent of rain he picked up.

Menma said nothing all the while, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hmm, you're sure Hinata or none of the faculty will mind a little scuffle?" 'This could all be a perfectly planned tactic to mess with me after all…'

Naruto shrugged, praying his voice sounded casual enough. "It's been awhile since I've gotten my hands dirty and besides…seeing you return brings back old heists that never went through or got busted."

It's not the answer Menma expected and they both know it sounds a little too much like a lie.

But to Naruto's slight surprise, he doesn't push that particular point, instead watching as he rested his head back against one of the many trees.

"Hmm, forget the fight then. If that's true, you wouldn't have a problem helping me 'borrow' some of those nice new pieces that have been added to Club 81, hmm? You're the last person they would expect after all to commit such an act…" He trailed off.

His eyes darkened in amusement, lighted with mischief and imploring him to fall back in line with him without any hesitation.

"I'm listening."

-X-

"I've said it already 3 times now that he's going along with it. It worked." Naruto repeated, excitement growing wane at the same repetitive questioning by his friends.

Of course Menma didn't fully believe him though; asking him if he had any problem bringing along some of his own 'friends' to keep watch for them and provide extra reassurance he wouldn't bail.

And he had obviously had no choice but to say that he was okay with that too…

However, he never said anything about him bringing his own friends along for backup as well.

"So, the plan is for it to begin at around 4:30-5:00 am this coming Friday when the club boots out all of the lagging customers and cleans up to close for the night. He wants to enter through either one of the 2 exits in the back entryways." Naruto explained.

"And who're the goonies he'll be bringing along? Do you have any idea what they look like such as their build, hair color, or how tall they are?" Shikamaru inquired.

He'd didn't like the idea in truth of getting his hands messy in a topic that didn't even involve him, but he knew how important this was to Naruto.

If his past remained broken, then he could never properly move forward. 'I know the feeling…' picturing his recently deceased teacher before focusing on the topic at hand.

Nobody could afford to be distracted right now.

"I'm not sure who he'll be bringing to be honest, we'll have to expect the unexpected really. I know he wouldn't want it to be anybody I might recognize from our old gang though." Naruto related.

They spent the next couple of days in preparation for the night and who would do what. Kiba would be on lookout while Shikamaru laid out traps around the club to better spot or lure them in. Meanwhile, Naruto himself would wait for the right moment to stop Menma with Sasuke providing standby just in case something went wrong. (Not that he would need to have his help hopefully).

'He has to show up…he never backs down once his mind is set.' Naruto thought, idly watching a few clouds pass overhead. It's quiet for a Friday night, even if was still damp out from the off and on rain they've been having.

"So, you weren't lying to me after all; you did show up. Ready?" Menma questioned from behind him.

Naruto paused before giving a quick nod, carefully peering towards the hooded figures behind him. He slowly turned his face back towards Menma, conveying the most devilish grin he could manage at the moment.

"I say we go for the easy to carry out and most expensive items first. I know the hidden away cellar Jiraiya keeps behind the bar holds the most expensive wines and liquors. I took the liberty of disabling all the cameras while I waited."

Menma whistled lowly, slapping his back lightheartedly. "I'm impressed; you have Hinata fooled quite well that you're a saint now."

Naruto had to fight so hard to restrain the urge to punch him at that comment.

Because so far their plot is going surprisingly well, he's brought along his night vision goggles and is slowly helping him move out an array of wine, CD's and rare sculptures. Even his lackeys aren't getting too involved until he hears it.

The sound of hundreds of glasses breaking.

Shikamaru's voice breaks in quickly through his hidden earpiece, harsh and hurried. "Damn it, he's set off something. Get out of there!"

-X-

'Well, it's too little too late now to be saying that.' Naruto wanted to sarcastically reply.

A noxious mix of rotten eggs, trash and a composite of other chemicals is quickly filling the air making it hard for him to concentrate. To breathe.

"I knew you would bring your friends along. Did you think I would come here not expecting to think that you might double-cross me?" Menma sneered, voice garbled behind his mask.

"Hmm, yes and no. Considering you're the one who's been deceived." Naruto remarked, fishing for and putting on his own protective mask.

It's all he needs to say before he snaps his fingers to give off the signal.

Lights flash on and the smog begins to disperse, but all of that doesn't matter in comparison to the stunned look Menma gains seeing his own friends suddenly gripping him tightly in place.

Jabs, grunts, and streams of curses all aren't effective in loosening either of their holds.

"Jiro, Seiji? What the hell guys?!" Menma hissed, gazing between the pair bitterly. Jiro smirked, twisting the hold on his arms until he yelps.

"It's just as Naruto said, you're the one who was being tricked this whole time."

"And we simply couldn't resist the proposition he gave us before we met up with you at getting even with you for all the times you've swindled us. At least our minor crimes will be a bit more lenient now for cooperating with the police on this." Seiji finished for him.

Naruto studied Menma's expression cautiously, wisely keeping his mouth shut during the entire explanation. That he had gone ahead days before and asked his friends to help him and that his own friends would pretend to have their plan fail to through him off. His face through it all morphs between denial this is all happening, to rage, disappointment, and then finally passive silence once sirens ring out in the air.

He prepares himself for the coldness he'll still see dancing in his blue eyes as he eventually clears his throat to finish. "You don't have to keep doing this Menma; in spite of everything I think you can change as well. I mean, do you even now still get the same thrill out of continuing to do this when you have people that care and wish you would do better for yourself?"

For a fleeting second he bitterly believed his words had gotten through to him, his eyes momentarily becoming wide and thoughtful.

But then it all too soon ends as his face darkens, spitting towards the middle ground that lays between where they stand.

"Oh, fuck you. You've gotten soft…" He scoffed, allowing the guards rushing in to lead him away without another word.

Naruto sighed, staring down at the splatter against the pavement of where his former friend stood. The same man he had helped escape from the police plenty of times before was now the one he was helping put away.

Sasuke uncrosses his arms from beside him, silently telling him what he already knows mixed in with some concern if he'll be okay. He nods that's he's fine, even if it's not a very convincing one.

'You can't change everybody, but life goes on…'

Still though, the image of his callous gaze stays stuck in his head over the next few days.

-X-

"Well, that was a quick bounce back." Sasuke mused, barely looking away from the articles he scrolled through on his phone.

"You know me Sasuke, I can't sit and be brooding forever like you!" Naruto chirped, swinging his arms in stride behind his head.

It's been a week now since his incident with Menma, he hasn't heard anything from his friends except that their getting a much more lenient punishment compared to him as they had hoped. All of the items have been returned to the club without any hassles and he hopes this all truly now is just a thing of the past.

He has some final assignments he should've finished hours ago, but instead he wants to do something fun and carefree until his mind can properly focus back on that later on.

So who better to bother to keep him amused but Sasuke?

Sasuke rubbed his head, sending him an annoyed look. "So, are you going to tell me now why you needed my advice so badly that you had to call me first out of everybody? Normally this is the type of thing you would go to Hinata for."

Naruto's demeanor changed, rubbing his cheek unsurely. "Yeah…this isn't the type of thing I can ask her about. In fact, I think I'm going to need everyone's help on this actually, I'm not sure why I only asked you though; you're not romantic!"

Clearly, none of that was a good enough answer for him so he went on. "I've been thinking a lot lately Sasuke. Figuring out my future better now and trying to put my schoolwork and plans all into place. Through good days and bad days Hinata's been there for me, helping me out and accepting me for who I am."

"Her love for an idiot like you is special." Sasuke agreed.

Naruto chuckled lightly at his joke, nodding his head as they stopped in front of a boutique. "You're right, so that's why I know for sure now that after all we've been through in just this past semester that I can do this."

Sasuke blinked, following his line of sight into the store. "Naruto, are you seriously going to…?" But Naruto answered for him before he could finish getting the words out.

"Yes, I'm going to propose to her. Specifically, in a way only I can do!"

~x~

Thought I wouldn't be able to post this because my work schedule has been a bit wonky, but seems like its all good now! Any thoughts are appreciated as usual along with thanks/shout-outs to Rose Tiger, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, maxridelover, 3hinatatits3, guests, and shero56 for your responses last chapter and all my readers for following along!


	18. Beginnings

Chapter 18: Beginnings

'Everyone's been acting so strange over the past few days…' Hinata pondered, idly tossing and turning amid her blankets. She really should have changed to her spring comforter by now, pushing away the sheets at the dampness of sweat that's gathered amongst them from getting sweaty overnight.

It's early; barely past 7 am. But it's impossible to get back to sleep with where her thoughts have been going all night so she remained under her covers, even as sunlight began to seep in across her bed from the curtains and the faint buzz of her phone rings out into the silence to pressure her to get up.

Questioning Naruto about their shared friend's odd behaviors over the past couple of days around her specifically elicits no answers except that he thinks everyone is just excited graduation is finally only two weeks away.

Though he says it all with such a goofy smile knowing that it's a terrible lie.

"Naruto can be secretive when he wants to be." She grumbled to herself, crumpling her sheets further distractedly until a knock on her door snaps her out of it.

The last thing she expected to see was her friends shuffled around her peephole anxiously.

'Sakura, Ino, and Tenten all here at the same time? Something big must be going on.' Hinata considered, opening her door for the trio.

Their shared grins are a bit unnerving.

Especially since it seems she's the only one being kept in the dark over exactly what is going on apparently.

But she calmly pushed away negative thoughts starting to brew as she allowed them to shuffle in, watching as they each made themselves comfortable at their favorite spots on her couch.

Hinata twiddled at her thumbs, taking a seat opposite of them. Maybe she could politely offer them all some tea before she asked them straight out for the answers she was beginning to so desperately want…

"You haven't ate breakfast yet, have you? We kept trying to call and text you, but we eventually figured you were still sleeping in." Sakura inquired.

Hinata shook her head and if possible their smiles grew wider.

"Great! Hurry and get changed and meet us downstairs back in the lobby. We're going to try out this bistro that Sakura got recommended from some of her co-workers and Tsunade." Tenten stated before she could even get a word out.

"And make sure it's something sexy too! You know, one of those cute sundresses or shirts and tops that are tight and really show off your figure!" Ino added, causing Sakura to send her a nudge to shut up.

Hinata reddened, confusion and now embarrassment coming over her features because even if Sakura was trying to hush Ino, she too had gained a leery grin that she could barely keep hidden as well as they ushered back out her door just as quickly as they had come.

She ended up going with one of her light blue dresses that matched well with a pair tan shorts and sandals she had bought recently, nothing particularly special in her opinion considering the weather and the occasion.

This all sounded like it was just going to be a simple outing with friends to a new area as far as her thoughts were going.

The first scents and sounds Hinata picked up on upon entering the small restaurant was the waft of spices and eggs cracking.

And of course her stomach had to pick that moment to gurgle in anticipation.

"Hungry? Don't worry it's all you can eat!" Sakura teased by her ear, giggling at her heating cheeks. They took a seat by one of the booths closest to the windows, taking in the country theme of the restaurant adorned with paintings of endless prairies and symbols of simple living.

"How did Tsunade and Shizune hear about this place? It looks pretty new in here." Tenten asked, sipping casually at the juice she had ordered.

"Yeah forehead, it's not like you to find out about places that have good taste before me for once." Ino joked, frowning at her purposeful nudge of the saltshakers onto her violet blouse in response.

Hinata stayed silent as Sakura indulged them with how Tsunade often enjoyed going out for '5 minute breaks' a little too long at different restaurants in and around the city leaving Shizune to her incomplete paperwork or disgruntled patients until she took her here to try out the food as well with the promise she would take less breaks during the day.

She truly tried to pay attention to the story, but her mind was drifting again, half focused on Sakura's story while the other went back too…

'Naruto, now that I think about it; you're probably in on whatever Sakura, Ino, and Tenten are keeping from me as well. Maybe he's trying to surprise me with something, though it's not close to either of our birthdays or anniversaries.' Hinata mused.

"Hinata, are the waffles with strawberries along with a sunny side up egg what you ordered?" The waiter repeated, startling her. Everyone looked at her expectantly as she peered over towards the man, surprise etching her features as she recognized him.

The very same waiter who worked at Club 81 too and the man who had stopped her and Naruto on the way home just a few weeks ago.

Hinata blinked, throat narrowing quickly in worry.

"What...What are you doing here?" She whispered.

He smiled, shaking his head at her concern. "Ah, no need to get anxious! I'm just here to deliver your food and a special message from Naruto."

Sakura, Ino, and Tenten leaned over a bit too curiously towards the sealed envelope placed into her hands, eyes flickering eagerly between the letter and herself even as their own meals came.

She taunted everyone in waiting longer by eating her food first before reading said letter.

'Hey Hinata, sorry I've been keeping you in the dark over what I've been doing the past few days! It's taken a lot of work from our friends and loved ones to put this all together, though I figured it would be too easy if I just flat out said what I'm planning so I put them together in a couple of clues for you to find like a scavenger hunt. Don't worry though, you know me that I wouldn't make them too hard for you!' Hinata read to herself.

She gazed further down towards the bottom of the paper to see what her first clue was, flustering at his words:

"You'll find clue #1 at where we had our first date." Hinata whispered under her breathe, mind wavering to find any secret or double meanings hidden within the message.

"So, what does it say? Where are we going next?!" Ino questioned fervently, quieting down at the stares other customers around the store sent towards their way.

Hinata flipped the note back and forth between her fingers, eventually settling on folding it into her pocket for safekeeping.

"Ichiraku's, but how did you know we needed to go somewhere else? Do you know exactly what's going on?" Hinata emphasized.

Hinata smirked slightly as her grin fell apart, words becoming jumbled and unsure. Unfortunately, she glanced quickly towards Sakura and Tenten for help before she ended up spilling everything.

"Oh Hinata, what fun would there be in telling you that so soon?" Sakura hummed.

Hinata huffed, partially wanting to continue her questioning of them to dig the truth out while the other half was just too curious and wanted to properly play along with Naruto's game.

'Today suddenly became a lot more interesting…'

-X-

"I've been expecting you!" Teuchi stated, smile warm and wide as Hinata approached. The stand was already beginning to get busy, a line forming as he finished flipping over a slew of noodles and meat on the grills surrounding him.

He quickly called for Ayame over his shoulder who was busy chopping away at vegetables, stepping aside to allow her up to the front of the stand.

"Sorry, the envelope got a bit messy during our preparation for the lunch rush!" Ayame mentioned, noting the stickiness and a stray noodle on the edge as she passed it over to Hinata.

Hinata shook her head with a smile, feeling a familiar heat rise to her face at the wink and thumbs up the duo sent her as they had so many times before when she came here for dates with Naruto as they returned back to their work.

Their smiles this time are just so slightly different in a way that hid an underlying meaning that's making her stomach flutter.

"So, where is our second clue going to take us?" Tenten whistled to break the silence. The sun passing over them mixed in with the large crowds gathering around the many other food stands nearby is getting uncomfortable for her, especially standing still.

'Clue #2 is where you and I had our first kiss…hmm, so the high school then! Specifically in Kurenai's English class.' Hinata thought.

But school is in session though if Naruto dropped by only a few hours ago, would he really interrupt a class just to drop off a simple note and then just leave soon after?

She smiled secretly. 'Yes, of course he would.'

Its lunch hour at least by the time they get there and a wave of wistfulness comes back as they pass through the halls. The recognizable school colors of red and black embellish banners strewn across the ceilings for upcoming pep rallies and events until they finally reach the English/Language Arts section.

Kurenai's classroom is still relatively the same too, crimson eyes deeply focused on essays and paperwork littered around her desk until Hinata clears her throat and startles her out of focus.

And just like before, a mysterious smile flickers across her face at her arrival, pulling an envelope out of the pile amongst her and handing it over.

"I didn't expect you to get here so soon after Naruto left. How've you been?" Kurenai questioned, standing up to stretch and give her a hug.

Hinata beamed, retelling her everything that's happened over the past weeks. Kurenai was one of the few people outside her friends that knew how stressful and demanding her father had been on her during their high school days. The fact that she'd been even open enough to letting her occasionally stay at her home when nights at her own became too tense made her promise that she would return her gratitude once she was financially stable enough.

"I'm glad things have improved with your father, I know that was probably one of the biggest hurdles you had to go through. Time flies, doesn't it? Already now you're about to graduate and truly start your own life…your own family." She teased.

"Ah well, maybe not the second one so quickly, but yes!" Hinata stammered out, smiling slightly at her light laugh.

Sakura nudged her gently, pointing to the envelope. "We should get moving onto your next clue Hinata, you don't want to keep Naruto waiting on his surprise for you; do you?"

The innuendo gives race to a new wave of shivers of down her spine.

"I-I won't! Anyways, it was nice seeing you again Kure- or Ms. Yuhi." Hinata stated, keeping to formalities when the bell rings signaling the end of lunch. Pretty soon, the sound of students noisily filing back towards their classes can be heard in the distance. She looked over her shoulder to get a final look at her gentle smile as Ino joined Sakura on the opposite side of her to gently tug her out the door.

Kurenai shook her head, waving her off until she was out of sight. 'If this is how he proposes, I can only imagine what the wedding will be like.'

"Clue #3 is where you and I shared our first one year anniversary dinner." Hinata read aloud once they were outside.

A brush of wind provides a refreshing cool on her warm cheeks and speeding heart.

Because by now it's obvious that every clue is following a specific pattern. All of their firsts' are being brought back to forefront of her mind, swirling and reminding her of how much their relationship has grown over the years.

"So, it's at the Crystal Steakhouse and Grille. I remember Naruto didn't know what to order so he pretended to sound sophisticated mistakenly ordering dessert first over the entrees." Hinata related.

Sakura rolled her eyes, picturing the moment. "Typical of him."

It's Jiraiya this time who has her clue, cheesy grin coming onto his face as they approach.

"Hey, it's not every day I have not one but four ladies rushing up to me eagerly!" He beamed, laughing giddily even with the frowns he got in return for his joke.

Jiraiya noted Hinata particularly not paying him any attention. Lavender eyes searching the room nostalgically. Her eyes soon mainly became fixed on the large aquarium centered in the main area of the restaurant, dark blue glow of the water and fish swimming about lighting up her face. 'That's right, we sat right next to the tank…'

"Brings back memories, huh? Won't be long before you're creating many more new ones with Naruto!" Jiraiya spoke up, making her jump.

He pushed the clue into her hands just as she wanted to reply, snickering and sauntering away to flirt with a group of women coming in he sees over her shoulder heading towards a booth on the other side.

'I knew it wouldn't take you long before you got through all of the mini clues I had for you! Your final clue is back where we first restarted our relationship and made love.' Hinata read.

The glaring enthusiasm has returned to her friend's expressions as they turn around to head back in Club 81's direction. Twilight will be approaching soon telling by the mix of dark red and purple lighting the sky, and her body twinges slightly in ache reminding her that truly has been on her feet all day.

But she can ignore that throbbing in her feet for just a little longer as her heartbeat picks up again, approaching the entrance a bit slower as Sakura and the others start to get a head start run in front of her.

And then her stomach flips when she realizes just why they're racing past her, everyone they know has gathered excitedly right outside the entrance. Naruto's eyes meet hers as he holds up the last envelope and if possible, her gut tightens.

Hiashi spots her before she even sees him amongst the crowd, warm smile upon his face. Next to him Hanabi wildly cheers her on and even Neji grins enough to send her a small nod.

"What is this all for Naruto?" Hinata whispers, slowly approaching him.

Naruto beamed, reaching out gently grasp her hand. "I just wanted to thank all our friends for the help they provided me with putting this all together today. And especially you Hinata for sticking with me through this all even if I don't deserve it…"

Her voice cracks in response under his loving gaze, instead following as he stares down to sealed note still within his hands.

"Open it." He murmured, handing it over to her.

It's hard to control the shaking in her hands, but she does so, tears blurring her vision at the simple sentence inside.

"Will you create another first for us and marry me?" Hinata whispered. The ring is taped neatly to the edge of the envelope, glimmering brightly even in the fading sunlight.

Neither remember much else after Hinata breathes out a yes and Naruto whoops out a cheer and tugs her in for a kiss.

-X-

"So, Ms. Uzumaki, how did you two celebrate after Naruto popped the big question on you, hmm? Don't think I wouldn't forget to ask you! You've been trying to sneak away from me every time I almost had you cornered!" Ino chimed by her ear.

Graduation has ended only a few hours ago, but the parties have just begun.

And even though she and Naruto protested it, their friends can't help but want to give them pseudo bachelor/bachelorette parties away from each other intermixed with all the celebrating.

'Party-hopping from place to place just to see what everyone else was doing has only worn everyone out faster though.' Hinata considers.

Ino's breathe smells of a blend of wine and cake and Hinata shifts back as politely as she can without coming off as potentially rude to her. "Um, well we kind of just ate dinner and then went to sleep after that. We were both pretty tired after such a long day."

Ino let out an unusual snort, huffing as tries to lean in closer to her again. "Oh, but that's sooo boring! You don't need to hide anything from me or us Hinata! In fact, I was just telling Tenten too some things we could give you as wedding presents like some racy-"

Sai thankfully approaches before she can finish that sentence.

"Sorry, I've been trying to find her all night. I should've expected she would attempting to pester you for details." Sai apologizes, guiding Ino to lean against his shoulder.

Hinata shakes her head, smiling as Sai carefully weaves her away through the crowds towards somewhere quieter.

But her cheeks fluster as she barely catches his remark her fiancé is looking for her upstairs.

"Naruto, why are you sitting up here alone?" It's hard to see him in the darkness, but she can make out the small outline of his spiky hair and can barely contain a smile when he flicks on the lamp and flashes his 'seductive' pose on the bed for her.

"Oh you know, just waiting for you to sneak away with me…" He trails off, patting the spot next to him.

Hinata arched a brow at the beer bottle in his opposite hand as he pulls her in, catching a small whiff of the bottle's contents and giggling as he quickly tugs it away.

"I didn't know you could get buzzed from just drinking water." Hinata teased.

Naruto hurriedly kisses before she can continuing her joking, he tastes much more like ramen and maybe some soda then the supposed booze he's been carrying around.

"We can keep that just between us though, right? Kiba kept tossing so many alcoholic beverages my way that I've never even heard of that I had to pretend to like one of them to get him to go away." He grunts close by her ear and she sighs in return, allowing him to pull her down onto the bed.

His kisses move from her lips down to her neck. Slowly and lazily leaving a trail of heat in its path that makes her stomach coil.

"I really didn't call you up here to do this; that would be a bit dangerous. I actually wanted to show you something. Close your eyes." Naruto's voice rasps out from over her.

He sits up away from her allowing them both to catch their breath. Hinata stares at him dazedly before following his command, surprised when she feels the weight of what feels like a book fall into her lap.

"It's the photo album for my photography class, remember? It's done and I wanted you to be the first to see it before I tucked it away; I managed to get a B+ on it." Naruto explained, watching as she studied each picture.

She surprises him with her favorite being the one he took of everyone by the fountain. He's captioned that photo in particular by saying each person has played a role in helping shape him into who he is today.

"Hey, let's get out of here." Hinata whispers suddenly, eyes glittering as she sat up from the bed. Pictures reminded her that she hasn't yet shown him what she's been up to lately as well.

"And go where? Won't everyone notice that we're missing?" Naruto challenges cheekily at her small shrug, however he gets up to follow her lead outside through the pulsing beat of music and dance surrounding them.

Hinata picks up her stride once they're both finally on the sidewalk, breathing in the calm night air with a sigh. They've probably been up since early yesterday when graduation occurred and yet she felt like the only one who was the feeling the effects of it. Naruto lightly tugs her hand back before she can walk too far though, smirking at the faint blush that crosses her face when he slides his other hand into the curve of her back.

"What are you surprising me with?" Naruto asked lowly against her ear.

She only smiles coyly in response, wiggling out of his grip and guiding them along again.

'We've taken this route before…are we heading in Club 81's direction?' Naruto recognized. It's their first time truly properly seeing the outside of the club at night since it's been refurnished, Club 81 neatly sparkles in golden cursive with a glow of purple and blue against the backdrop of each letter.

"Oh, I see what you're trying to do! Booked us a room in the honeymoon suite in preparation for the real thing, huh?!" Naruto implied, squeezing her hand suggestively.

"No, it's just something inside the club that I wanted to show you! I helped Jiraiya pick it out when he was trying to think of new designs to put up around the interior." Hinata replied.

By now, everybody who works at the club knows their face or their name and they don't even need Jiraiya to be around to get passes to the VIP rooms or events that once seem so far and out of reach for them.

Not that they really needed such perks and benefits anyways when those weren't the real reasons why they used the club.

"You two want any drinks on the house?! I just made a batch of long island iced tea and martinis." The bartender called out to them as they walked by.

Hinata graciously shook her head for them both, remnants of the tequila mix Ino had pushed into her hands hours earlier still clinging onto the back of her tongue.

"This is what I wanted to show you." Hinata stated, weaving them past center stage into the lounge area. The zone was relatively quiet, guests either lazily snoozing against the plush sofas or quietly sipping at their drinks while watching other games or events go on.

But Naruto's attention was focused on the enlarged photo in front of them.

His photo.

"When…When did you get the time to do this; especially without me finding out?!" Naruto mumbled in awe.

She had found the picture he had taken of the skyline of Konoha at night from one of his earlier photography projects, the city brightly lighted and bustling even at that time of the day. He had thought the picture to be ugly though, sections of it blurry and distorted so much he wondered why he hadn't deleted it off his camera already.

"I hope you don't mind, I retouched it up with Jiraiya's help when I was scrolling through other photos on your camera that he thought might look nice to decorate the club with. He said it looked good for tourists who wanted to see what the city looked like from an overtop perspective." Hinata explained.

Naruto slowly shook his head, azure eyes wide as he studied every detail of the image. 'Konoha Nights by Naruto U.? Wow, never believed that shitty photo could actually be turned into an image people would actually want to look at.'

He had given up on something he found terrible that Hinata had instead found beauty in.

"You didn't have to do this, thank you." Naruto stated, turning back towards her fully. The deeper meaning behind his words shined through at his sincere expression and she leaned up towards his lips just as his grin became roguish with the suggestion they stay at the club much longer than necessary.

"You're welcome." She hummed out, lips tingled and flushed when he pulled away. His mischievous smirk hadn't left and her face darkened when she trailed after his gaze to...

Upstairs.

Hinata bit her lip, fighting down a protest itching to come out that their friends were probably worried at where they went when they were supposed to trying to spend the night not in each other's presence. Naruto chuckled into her neck, kissing at the pressure point until she moaned.

"Hinata…what's it going to take to get you to stop worrying about them and surrender to your current desires?" He teased, sliding his hands methodically down her stomach towards her nether regions.

Because their friends probably don't honestly give a damn or even want to know what they're up to really.

"I-I don't know…maybe you should remind me." She slips out to both their initial surprise, but the shock quickly fades from Naruto's face first before she can utter anything back.

And he sorely again and again reminded her of pleasures she'd been trying to hold back on for the night, coming undone in his arms in a blend of sweat and warmth.

Later on though, whilst she saw the peeks of a new day coming as she laid wound in Naruto's arms did her thoughts dazedly remind her that the months ahead would be very busy.

New jobs. Moving in together. Wedding planning. Possible honeymoon?

She closed her eyes and snuggled back into Naruto's chest before any of said ideas become too overwhelming to deal with.

-X-

"I'm sorry, am I hurting you?" Naruto asked again worriedly.

Hinata giggled despite the concern in his voice, wiping at the stray tears she could feel sliding down her cheeks. "No, I'm fine; happy even. We've done this plenty of times before after all so why would it now all of a sudden hurt?"

Naruto blinked, hesitant on how to answer that.

Because he had pictured, at least from Jiraiya's storytelling (even if he wasn't the best person to know) that wedding night sex was supposed to be different from regular sex.

'You're husband and wife now; not girlfriend and boyfriend like your relationship is still something immature. You've truly crossed the boundaries into adulthood now; enjoy all the joys and frustrations that come with that! And don't forget to rely on each other for help when you need it or me for all the bedroom stuff!' His advice rang out in his head from his reception speech.

Well he definitely wasn't going to follow through with that last part he just had to add in.

Though he could feel comforted in the fact he had kept to his mental checklist in making this the best day of his and Hinata's lives. He had managed to wake up before his alarm and finish all final preparations for the day. The colors purple and orange might have seemed like an odd color scheme to go with to anyone outside of their group of friends, but it went well for them.

And now he could truly call her his and vice versa.

"Naruto, grab my hand." Hinata murmured, breaking him from his reverie.

He slowly did as she asked, sinking her into the bed as his lips descended on hers once more. A soft 'I love you' tumbled out in a sigh as he slid one finger into her and her sighs quickly turn into breathy moans as he removed the rest of their clothes, taking his time with lace garter beneath her gown.

"Hmm, say that again." Naruto grunted, pausing midway in a thrust. He bites and licks along the edges of her nipples until she cries out, fingers tightened around his back.

"Hmm, say what?" Hinata repeated, but she huffed and tried to clench around him at his response to her teasing and lightly laughed.

"Alright, alright. I love you." She purred out, loosening her hold around him as he hissed it back in return, thrusts languish and slow again until he spills into her.

They're both damp with their shared stickiness and heat even hours later, lazily sleeping into the early afternoon.

"Want to see what everyone got this? I'm particularly curious about Sasuke's…" Naruto suggested eagerly, wrapped wedding baskets and gifts remaining lying untouched in the corner of the room.

Hinata softly clenched her stomach, ignoring the sharp twinge that came and went as Naruto looked back at her, warm goofy grin plastered on his face and she forced herself to give a quick smile back.

'Lately, that same pang of nausea and cramps has been coming back, but…I'm probably just hungry from not eating over the past couple of hours; it's nothing I need to worry Naruto about...yet.' She decided.

"That's fine with me, though let's order some room service first."

-X-

Positive.

She was sure that's what the first pregnancy test result had said when the vomiting episodes returned.

Along with the second, third, and fourth ones as well when she was sure she could believe it.

'But it doesn't hurt to get proof from a professional nonetheless.' Hinata considered anxiously. Next to her Naruto could barely contain his excitement, fingers rattling against the countertop and his chair until Sakura shot him a glare.

"Will you sit still already?! Tsunade said she would be back in with the results in 10 minutes!" She snapped.

Naruto huffed, but immediately straightened as she balled up a fist. "But Sakura…this might be it! This might really be happening!"

Sakura restrained the urge to roll her eyes at his whining and antics, keeping to a courteous manner even as her jade eyes wavered over to Hinata who seemed relatively composed given the situation.

Maybe this time she had been expecting this to happen.

They had just returned from their honeymoon excursions after all to all of the major cities neighboring Konoha. Her violet hair neatly tied back in a loose ponytail, lilac eyes bright despite the fragments of fatigue she could see in her face from lack of sleep.

'That's right; she said she was feeling so sick that they canceled their last trip early and barely unpacked their belongings before heading over here.' Sakura remembered.

A knock on the door interrupted her further musing and Tsunade entered as expected with envelope in tow.

"We'll give you two some privacy to look over the results and then you can call either of us back in with any questions or concerns you have." Tsunade explained as Sakura followed her out.

Naruto accepted the folder, waiting until the door was completely closed before he helped Hinata off the examination table into the chair beside him. He scowled internally at how nervous he felt, hands becoming clammy and stomach twisting.

But he was ready for this, swallowing down creeping self-doubt and worry that all his enthusiasm would end up being for nothing.

Again.

Hinata reached over to squeeze his hand tightly clasping the envelope. "I'm ready to see it…are you?"

And with a sharp exhale he nodded, going through the same process as last time as they both opened the folder together. More papers than from before spill out onto the tile below, but all they needed to see was what the file atop them pointed out.

POSITIVE.

"You're pregnant…" He whispered, flipping over the paper over and over to make sure it was indeed true. That this was real.

It was.

He looked back and forth from Hinata to the results, tears shimmering in his cerulean eyes. A new life was really growing inside her; their son or daughter.

"Naruto! I'm really this time-"Hinata paused, noticing Naruto had instantly leapt up and ran out of the room.

"Sakura, Hinata's pregnant! We're going to have a family! Look, look the pregnancy stick results and the lab results prove it!" She could hear him yell from down the hall.

Hinata smiled for a moment at his excitement, but immediately moved to hurriedly get up after him as she heard Sakura's shout. "Idiot, stop waving that stick in front of strangers!"

~x~

Yes, it's true, this is the penultimate chapter before the epilogue! It's been a long ride writing this story with its ups and downs to wrap up all loose ends, but I hope you look forward to what I have stored for the big finale and future stories! Thanks/Shout-outs to Rose Tiger, shero56, Elphaba818, lodol25, guest, Breakthrough92, maxridelover C.A.M.E.O. 1 and Only for your responses last chapter and all my readers for your support; almost 160 favorites and 200 followers; that's amazing


	19. Epilogue: Time and Again

Epilogue: Time and Again

'Do I really want to hear this?'

Boruto paused outside his parent's bedroom, frowning at how muffled his parents voices were even with the door cracked open just enough to see and hear them.

This had gradually been happening more and more over the past few months, his father's repetitive coming home late.

'What exactly have you been hiding old man?' His thoughts went on.

"So it's true then?! It's actually going to happen?" He heard his mother whisper giddily. Her pearl eyes widened brightly as she watched his father nod eagerly from beside her, pulling her in close for a hug.

"Yup! I just finished up all of the paperwork and meetings with Kakashi now that he's stepping down. I'm going to take over in the position as mayor of Konoha starting the first of next month!" Naruto explained, equally as excited as her.

Boruto felt his stomach drop.

Of course he had had his suspicions that his dad was going to replace Kakashi eventually going by his talks during dinnertime as of late, but he hadn't been expecting for this all too happen so, so…

Soon.

"This is really exciting Naruto! You're finally accomplishing all the goals you've set out for that people thought you could never reach!" Hinata breathed.

Naruto chuckled, scratching his head lightly in embarrassment at the compliment before reaching a hand forward to cup her face. "I couldn't have gotten this far without the support of you and everyone else. I know I've been keeping you up late all these nights waiting for me, but tonight we have to celebrate."

The insinuation makes Hinata blush and Boruto gag.

And he quickly clenched his teeth, sucking in air and turning away from the scene before the image of his parents kissing got burned into his head forever.

He made his way hurriedly back to his room, trying not to stumble in the darkness until he felt the sheets of his bed and buried himself into the covers.

'Did they hear me? Do they know that I'm awake?!' His thoughts raced. For once, he wished was like Himawari and could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows.

Footsteps approached from the distance and he squeezed his eyes shut as the sound of his door creaked open. It had to be his old man, rough hand moving forward to ruffle his hair gently and murmur a soft goodnight before sighing and stepping away to leave again. Boruto restrained back the urge to open his eyes just as his door shut back close, frowning at his retreating back.

"So, Boruto, Himawari, your mother and I have some big news to share with you all." Naruto announced the following morning over breakfast.

Boruto stopped his flickering with the leftover scrambled eggs on his plate, dreading glancing upwards and meeting his father's excited disposition.

Because in truth, he should've been happy too over this situation that his dad was accomplishing his dreams.

Beside him, Himawari clapped her hands in delight, nearly knocking over her cup of juice in the process. "Papa, did you win a prize?!"

Hinata shook her head, helping Himawari not to create a mess as the syrup from her pancakes began to slip down onto her skirt. "No, but it's something even better than that!"

"I've been promoted to be next in line to be mayor of Konoha! Now I know you two might not understand fully what that means, but Daddy will be a bit busier from now on." Naruto explained.

The smile from Himawari's face slipped, blue eyes becoming somber and before Boruto even realized it, a scowl came onto his face at seeing his sister's upset.

'Is being mayor really that important?'

It's a question he silently poses at him, but his father's eyes are more focused to Himawari and he drops the topic reluctantly when his mother shoots him a warning look.

"Are you…are you still going to be able to have tea parties with me and go to the park?" Himawari ventures to ask.

"Oh of course sweetie! I'm still working out my schedule, but I'm still going to have plenty of time to spend with you all! Remember; I still love you both even if I'm not there in person, but I will try and continue to make it all your school events and what not as much as I can." Naruto emphasized.

His response at least makes Himawari relax, grin returning as she wiped away at the stray tears threatening to fall down her cheeks just moments ago.

Naruto began to glance in his direction now and he quickly veered his head over to the kitchen clock, masking his relief when the time showed 5 minutes to 8:00.

Good, he needed an escape from this situation.

"Ah, I'm going to be late for school if I don't get going! Thank you for the meal mom." Boruto stated, hopping out of his chair and gathering up his plate.

Behind him, he can hear his dad calling his name to hold on, but he ignores it.

Again.

Instead, he hastily grabs his lunch bag set out by the kitchen corner and puts on his shoes before meeting Sarada outside the door like usual.

The walk to school had never been as vexing as it was that day.

"Pay attention!" A harsh voice whispers by his ear towards the middle of first period. Boruto opened one eye sleepily, brought out of his daydreaming as Sarada gave him another sharp poke with her pencil.

'It's already been a year and the memory of that day is still on my mind…' Boruto considered, peering out the window lazily.

It's another warm day as the summer months approach, the sound of cicadas perched against the shade of the trees are a nice distraction to tune out Mr. Aburame's droning.

"It's too hot to focus." He mutters back, pushing her pencil away once Mr. Aburame isn't looking in their direction.

Summer break officially starts on Friday after all and there's no reason to give a damn about school at this point. While he knew his behavioral conduct could use some work, his grades were basically perfect and his thoughts were more focused towards his prediction to win the upcoming martial arts tournament on Saturday.

'Liar.' His thoughts repeated, reminiscing on his father's empty promises that he would try to attend important events and not make his advisors have to take his place so much.

And more so than that he hated this part of himself still hoping that against all odds he would find his dad's face amongst the crowd once the weekend came sitting next to mom and Himawari to cheer him on.

It's a silly desire he wishes would have faded weeks ago.

-X-

"Boruto, I need you to pick up Himawari after school tomorrow. I have a meeting with the dietitian team after work so I won't be home until later." Hinata mentioned while they washed dishes together that night.

Boruto paused, scrubbing his plate a bit slower. "But mom, I was going to hang out with Inojin and Shikadai after school! Inojin just unlocked a new level for the game that none of us have even seen yet!"

Hinata shook her head, not taking her eyes off a bowl she particularly began to dry with more vigor. "This isn't up for discussion Boruto; you've already had plenty of time to hang out with them over the weekend. I don't want to hear your sister mention that you kept her waiting again on picking her up when I asked you to!"

'Then why doesn't the old man just do it?!' His complained to himself. His stupid dad always got a free pass on not having to do chores like this all because mayoral duties were an 'excuse.'

Hinata glanced at Boruto out of the corner of her eye, sighing at the clear upset he was driving into the utensils now with spoons and forks beginning to bend at the pressure he put on them.

But then, she couldn't help the giggle that escaped at seeing his deep scowl as he silently rubbed went back to rubbing at the grime again. 'The faces he makes look exactly like Naruto when he's annoyed…though I guess I shouldn't tell him that or he'll get even angrier.'

"What's so funny about this?" Boruto voiced, interrupting her musings.

Hinata smiled lightly, stifling any other snickers. "Oh, you'll only get madder if I say it! I know you don't like how often your father is away at work, however; I feel like this week you'll actually have a chance to learn more about your father and the reasons behind why he so badly desired the job as mayor."

And as she expected, his ears perked curiously before he huffed and moved to dry his hands roughly at the washcloths by the stove.

"I…I don't care what his stupid motives were behind taking that job!" He retorted.

Hinata arched a brow, blocking his exit just as he turned to go. "Boruto…I know you don't hate your father as much as you say you do, so at least hear me out on this."

His shoulders sagged at seeing his mother's expression soften with disappointment at his tone and he squirmed, hating how uncomfortable he felt all from one stare.

"Himawari said her class was assigned a family tree project last week to help kick off the end of year with memories of time spent with loved ones over the years. Now it hasn't been too hard for her to find pictures and information from my side of the family, but it's been difficult finding enough photos and data from dad's side. You'll find out a lot more about him if you help her search some old albums and what not." Hinata went on to explain.

Boruto pursed his lips, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Wouldn't it be a lot simpler if we just looked it up online?"

Hinata shrugged, but a faint quirk of a grin passed through her expression driving up his interest. "Perhaps, but you know not everything can be found online."

'What's that supposed to mean?'

She let him pass before he can ask her for a proper answer though, only speaking up again just as he turned the corner to head upstairs.

"And behave yourself when you help her! Himawari looks up to you and will pick up on your bad habits if you continue to do them in front of her!"

Boruto gulped, picking up on the faint edge in her tone. He couldn't slack off in helping her find research or take the easy way out by merely doctoring photos of their dad he could find in seconds through a quick browser search.

'There goes plan A…'

-X-

"Himawari, isn't that your big brother behind you?" One of her classmates asked.

Boruto sent her a scowl, attempt to surprise his sister ruined by the little girl's loud declaration.

Not that he didn't stick out already being a middle-schooler surrounding by hordes of elementary students and kindergarteners wandering about in the first place.

"Bolt? I didn't know you were picking me up from school today!" Himawari cheered, practically pouncing into his arms. Boruto beamed at the affectionate nickname as he hugged her back, helping her put on her yellow jacket and grab her belongings out of the classroom.

"Bye Himawari, see you tomorrow!" Her friends called out to her and she nodded, waving back to them before they turned the corner to head outside.

'Hmm, I didn't know Hima was so popular around the school…too popular perhaps.' Boruto realized, observing her continue to wave to teachers and a small group of boys that passed whose smiles seem to widen when they saw her.

Cerulean eyes narrowed at that, instinct kicking in. He'd keep an eye on them specifically the next time he would have to pick her up.

"I can't believe summer break is almost here! I wonder where Papa and Mama will want to go this year. Last time we went to the hot springs, but this year I want to go the beach! Ooh or maybe we should go somewhere with grandpa, uncle Sasuke, and auntie Sakura!" Himawari exclaimed, clasping his hand eagerly as she fervently discussed places they could go and who they could travel with.

Boruto simply nodded his head to her suggestions, discussion with their mother coming to mind. "Don't forget that you still need to finish your family tree assignment first before you start thinking of vacation spots. Mom wants me to help you get it done as soon as possible before Friday."

The lingering scent of tea is in the air once they return home, notably strongest around the kitchen and their father's study.

"Hmm, was Papa home before us? Look, the plants have all been watered!" Himawari remarked, heading over to one of the living room plants to run her fingers against the dewdrops.

'If he was, it was only a quick get in and get out.' Boruto pondered, heading past her for the study and purposefully knocking over important files and documents of their dad's to reach the albums close to the top shelf.

"Did you find it?" Himawari questioned from below and he nodded, brushing away at the dust having collected over the years.

They decide to split up the two collections, spreading out across the living room to search each photo carefully.

"Hmm, picture from high school, picture from high school, picture from college, geez where does the old man keep pictures of his childhood at?!" Boruto grumbled under his breathe. Meanwhile, Himawari's light laughter filled the room and he peeked over his shoulder to find her snickering came from their father attempting to pose against some vintage car; only to slip down into the grass when the car began to move.

"Papa can be so silly, huh?" Himawari hummed, flipping to the next page. Boruto rolled his eyes, snarky comment burning on tip of his tongue until he saw her eyes narrow at his expression and he hurriedly scooted back towards his side of the room. 'Now I know why mom told me to behave…'

But that picture was giving him an idea.

It couldn't have been the only embarrassing photo of his father amid these piles and if he could find just one good image he could make copies of to spread around his office and perhaps the city…

'There's no way I'm passing up this chance, I should thought of this prank years ago!' He cheered himself on, moving through each page faster until it abruptly stopped.

The final pages towards the back were stuck together, stapled and even glued at the edges with clear intentions not to go beyond it.

Boruto thumbed the clear tape casually. If he was careful enough and used some scissors, he could see what was behind it in a matter of seconds. He hesitated for a moment by glancing back towards Himawari, now too deeply focused on her work to notice what he was doing.

He hoped. She did still like to tattle on him occasionally after all when he misbehaved.

"Alright, let's see what dark secrets you've been hiding dad." Boruto whispered eagerly, sliding the scissors he snatched from the table nearby and his index finger slowly against the stuck pages. After a minute or so, the pages became undone with relatively no damage or tears except to the corners.

But his excitement quickly wore off at just seeing what said 'secret' was.

It's a picture of mom and dad when they were younger that much he recognizes, but the background is unfamiliar to any place they've told them about in stories or places they've visited. The logo Club 81 shines in the milieu amidst a show going on and what he thinks are supposed to be waitresses in lewd outfits.

'Club 81? I've never heard the old man mention this…however, it was obviously something he was trying to hide.' Boruto wondered, flipping the photo over to try and get any more information. Surprise crossed his features to see it was dated over 10 years ago with a small message for his mom.

-Let's never forget the nights we spent here rekindling the love we almost lost. ~Naruto

Boruto read the note twice over before his face heated, gut coiling in revulsion.

'Oh God, what did I just dig up?!'

"Hey Bolt, did you find something cool? Let me see!" Himawari asked giddily; breaking him out of his thoughts and he quickly gathered his nerves to bend the picture out of sight underneath him.

"I haven't found anything really you can use for your project. Dad really doesn't have much photos of him from when he was younger." He responded quickly.

It was true, but of course she wouldn't believe him that easily.

Himawari said nothing for a moment, her cobalt eyes sharpening towards the photo laying underneath him and he winced knowing he hadn't moved fast enough.

"Then why are you trying to hide that one beneath you?!" She inquired, anger lacing her voice as she took a step forward to him.

He scooted back as she approached, words fumbling. He hated lying to his sister, but the implications behind this photo wasn't something he wanted to share with her just yet.

Or ever really.

And he was luckily saved from doing so when they both heard the familiar click of the front door opening and Hinata step in.

"Himawari, why are you hovering over Bolt like that?"

-X-

Dinner is a bit too quiet in Boruto's opinion.

During the rare occasions Naruto makes it on time to be home to eat with them, he avidly talks about his day while Hinata laughs and intercedes with her own stories of patients she's dealt with.

And at the end of it, he and Himawari discuss their own days at school and what will be going on for the rest of week.

But that's just another routine that's been broken ever since Naruto became mayor.

"Bolt, eat the rest of your food. I know you haven't had anything to eat since you and Hima came home." Hinata urges him gently; and he sighs, dragging the rest of his rice into his mouth.

"Mama, Bolt's stomach probably hurts because he's been hiding that photo from me." Himawari pointed out, ignoring the glare he sent her way.

Hinata pushed back her plate, sending her son a curious look. Himawari mimics her action, only grinning more with mischief than interest.

"Err, it's something I want to only show you privately mom." Boruto eventually grumbled. The excuse makes Himawari pout that she wants to see it too even as Hinata lightly shoos her away to go upstairs for a bit.

"You were snooping around your father's study and privacy again, weren't you?" Hinata asks directly, brushing a hand through her violet hair at her son's guilty nod.

It grows quiet between them, the distant sound of cars racing by and the air cooling the house make Boruto shift uncomfortably until he finally dares to ask about the image.

"Mom, what's…what's Club 81?"

Hinata blinked. "E-Eh?"

"I mean, I know I shouldn't have looked beyond those stuck together pages, but now the image...it's fixed in my head and…" Boruto trailed off.

Hinata flusters in response, averting her eyes. 'Oh, what am I supposed to tell him?! Why didn't Naruto hide those pictures in our bedroom or somewhere more secure?'

"A-Ah, you'll have to ask your dad. He can tell you better than I can." Hinata stutters.

Mom only stutters around dad when he's being perverted around her when notably either he or Himawari are nearby enough to observe it or when she's…

Nervous.

'Interesting…how would dad react to this?' Boruto mused.

It wouldn't be good though if he ended up embarrassing his mom in the process of doing any schemes since he doesn't want to hurt her feelings not to mention the photo's implications bother him. But the mystery behind a potential glorious prank is something he can't just not use on his old man.

"I'm going to take a stroll to burn off this food, I'll be back before dark." Boruto states, gathering up his utensils neatly and washing them before heading out.

He can still feel his mother's intense stare on his back that the topic isn't over even when he makes it to the next block beyond their home.

The sun at twilight annoyingly continues to keep the day hot. Night would come in around less than an hour telling by the sun's position along with crimson hues streaked across the sky growing darker with each passing minute.

'Still enough light to do a bit of graffiti though!' He notes, heading down his favorite path where he showed off most of his 'work.'

Specifically because it was the same way he knew his old man used to get to work, along with so many citizens of Konoha.

Cleaning up the statues, fencings, and buildings he's tagged is only a small price to pay upon seeing the faces and remarks people give him in response to them.

"Hmm, he doesn't look ugly enough in this one, maybe I should add more stink lines." Boruto murmured to himself, outlining the edges of his crude drawing until a voice cleared their throat from next to him.

"For someone so apparently hailed as smart, you sure like to do stupid things." Sarada mentioned, eyes shifting across the multiple drawings he's done.

They all have a pattern of Naruto either calling himself stupid or old in a grotesque fashion.

Boruto shrugged, grinning at the graffiti images of his dad. His face and body proportions were made as ridiculous as possible with a small head in comparison to a large torso. It's completed with an over the top backdrop of his office or Konoha, though it always done well enough that he would be recognized to anyone passing by.

"Aren't you a better artist than this? I mean I know you're not like at Inojin's or his father's level, though you are capable. I don't see why you always degrade your father like this when's done so much for the city-"Sarada cut herself off at Boruto's fake yawn.

"Oh, blah, blah, blah! What's the fun in drawing him in how he's supposed to look, huh? This catches people's attention, including his!" He replied.

Sarada said nothing, merely scowling when Boruto moved forward again to sign his work. She pushed up her glasses curiously though when she saw him attempt to scribble out the words Club 81? To the side.

"Is that a secret message for your dad or something?" She pointed out and he nodded, smile brightening as he shook some of the paint dripping off his hands.

"He'll know what I'm talking about! Maybe I should ask everyone else's parents too to see if they know anything embarrassing I can add to this? Hmm, is uncle Sasuke back in town or maybe I should ask auntie Sakura?" Boruto inquired excitedly, only to grimace at her quick shake of the head.

She often liked to remind them at least his dad wasn't often gone on business trips.

Boruto stretched his numb legs out, leaving his spray cans behind the trash as usual while Sarada continued to watch the sunset.

"Trying to find out the mystery behind that club might make you end up with more troublesome results than you bargained for you know." She taunted.

'What is she, Shikadai?' 

But he felt his cheeks grow hot at the memory of his father's message on the back of the photo, furthering Sarada's teasing grin. "Yeah well, it will be worth it if I'm able to see the surprised look on my old man's face when his office is covered with the prank I have in mind involving said club!"

Sarada only hummed thoughtfully, picturing Naruto's face when he rushed home hours later to see this. "Speaking of your dad, you'll probably get grounded for a month for doing this."

Boruto wrinkled his nose, grabbing back another spray can to her dismay. "Only a month you think? Well, I can do better than that! Better add those wrinkles to his cheeks and bags under his eyes then!

-X-

'Damn it, what the hell am I going to do about this?! Grounding him does nothing and he seems to carry one just fine even when I take his phone, games, and laptop away. But if Hinata were to do it, he would freak out and beg her not to.' Naruto contemplated, staring over his graphitized form.

"Ugh, can't he at least not draw me like I'm some alien too?!" He hissed, only pausing in his curses when he notices the Club 81 mark almost hidden away in the corner.

His anger instantly dissipated into shock and worry.

Because neither him nor Himawari should even know about said club's existence yet.

Hinata has the bedroom light on for his return as typical and he slips in beside her to hold her close. His action stirs her awake, smiling sleepily as she turned over to face him.

"Long day?" She guessed drowsily.

His response is only to groan into her shoulder, prickling her skin with long strokes and kisses to distract his mind. "If it wasn't bad enough that the meeting started late, my walk home is plagued with weird drawings of me done by my son…and…and since when did he know about Club 81?!"

Hinata sighed, matching his movements as his erection pressed into her. "He was helping Hima with her family tree project by looking through photos, but somebody didn't hide our old photos well enough. And…it doesn't seem like that's the only thing on your mind right now…"

Naruto paused mid-way in pulling up her nightgown, sending her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, that's my bad. I'll fix things between us, but for now…"

"For now?" She continued slyly.

"For now, I just want to think about only you." He finished, nipping deeper at her skin until she moans.

Her breathe fans his chest hours later, sweat lighted on her cream skin in the afterglow of their lovemaking as he slowly pulls out of her. She squirms gently at the movement before snuggling once more into him.

Naruto sunk his head back into the pillow, watching her sleep peacefully before he groggily forced himself to check the time on the clock.

It's a little past 7:00 am…so he's already late for work. 'Shikamaru is going to be pissed at me, but I have other plans for today.'

"I have to go unfortunately." Naruto grunts, making Hinata rise off of him slowly. He gets one last tease of her naked form before she wraps herself in their sheets and moves off of him to the floor.

"I do too, morning change of shift report has already started. I'll make sure Boruto gets up to take Himawari to school-"Hinata begins, but Naruto holds a hand up to stop her.

"No, you go on ahead and get ready, I'll deal with him." He growled.

Hinata wrapped herself a bit more around the covers, moving to press a light kiss to his forehead as she passed him on the way to the shower.

"Alright, but please don't be too hard on him. He acts out and does all this only because he misses having your attention."

Boruto is startlingly up as he heads downstairs, or at least partially up. He has his food warming up in the microwave for breakfast, but he sits with his eyes closed at the table while leaning his head against his palm for support.

'Hmm, I wonder if he's been looking up Club 81 using his phone.' Naruto considered. A part of him wants to reach over and invade his privacy by doing a quick search, but he decides against the stirring thoughts at seeing his sleeping face.

The last thing he needs to do is strain their relationship even further.

So, it's only by the screech of pulling out his chair out does he jump up and look at him in shock before it quickly morphs into annoyance.

"Shouldn't you have already left for work?" He sneers.

Naruto shrugs, easygoing smile crossing his face. "Shouldn't you have more respect for me by not making silly drawings of me around the city?"

Boruto scoffed, standing up to retrieve his food from the microwave silently once it goes off.

He crunches at his toast a bit louder than necessary, scowl deepening at his father's continued staring. 'Why is he still here? Ugh, if he thinks I'm going to be up for a friendly conversation this early in the morning…'

"I know you've probably been trying to look up Club 81; at least since you saw that photo of your mother and me." Naruto abruptly says and Boruto flinches, toast crackling his mouth until he quickly reaches for his water to swallow it down while grabbing for his phone still on the table.

"You looked through my laptop and phone, didn't you?! You couldn't have just asked me in person, could you?!" He snapped, sitting up straighter to send him an accusatory look to which Naruto held up his hands defensively.

As much as he knows it won't help the situation, he finds his grin getting bigger.

"Whoa Bolt, relax! I didn't look through any of your personal business. You don't think your mother and I share information about what's going on in our children's lives? I could've looked through your phone anyway and let you continue to sleep here in your drool and miss school if I really wanted to though." He explained.

Boruto blanched, grudgingly calming back down.

'Smartass.' He grumbled in his mind.

Naruto got up to start brewing some tea, searching the cabinet for Hinata's favorite tea so she would have enough to drink as well to help her start her own day.

"By the way, do you have any exams, quizzes, or presentations at school today or something?" Naruto questioned over his shoulder.

Boruto arched a brow, slowly shaking his head in reply as he watched his father return to the table and pull out his own phone to scroll through it while he waited for his own food and drink to warm up. He was much more relaxed today than normal, the last time he was late to work he had haphazardly moved in a blur to collect his belongings and was out the door in 5 minutes or less.

So why was he casually still lounging around the kitchen like this?

His expression abruptly became serious when he caught his staring though, leaning his head against his palm with a smirk.

"Good, that means you're able to play hooky with me."

-X-

For a flicker of a second, Boruto sent him a genuine smile.

It was a smile he had been being trying so hard to suppress him from seeing, but it was a grin nonetheless and he would take it knowing he often sent him frowns or worse.

"We're going to spend the day together. I'm going to cut work and you're going to cut school so we can properly clear the air between us. Don't get used to us doing this though." Naruto went on brightly.

"Really?! Wow, I should hurry and get ready then!" He remarked. Naruto nodded his head, watching him eagerly try to finish his food and then go change.

'He didn't try to hide his excitement that time, looks like this may go better than I thought.' Naruto mused, watching him head upstairs.

They leave out just as Hinata and Himawari are getting ready, Himawari attempting to follow after them until he promises they can play hooky together tomorrow.

"You're going to miss work two days in a row? Are your advisors really okay with that?" Boruto asks suspiciously to his pledge, breaking the silence as they head down the street.

'Nope!' Naruto easily answers in his thoughts.

"Yup, today I'm going to spend all day with you and then tomorrow I'll spend all day with Hima! I already rearranged my schedule to make sure I don't get too behind." Naruto lies instead, putting his hands behind his head.

Because in reality he just came up with the idea to do this around last night when he came home.

Shikamaru has already sent him dozens of texts and calls that missing the next two days will mean he'll be behind in work for at least 3 weeks with all the paperwork he was already late on completing.

But, he can't ignore this matter either and let it fester that his children miss him more than they'll ever admit out loud to the point his relationships with them could become forever damaged if he continues to do nothing.

Besides, it's easy to push his worries out of his mind knowing it's not too hot out right now. Shops are just beginning to open up against the orange rays of the sunrise and Boruto is keeping in pace with him when he normally tries to pretend they're not related by running ahead.

"Um, so I think it would be good to start with explaining my past to you. I know I've tried to keep it hidden from you and your sister, however I think your both coming of age now that you can hear it." Naruto described.

They stopped at a patch of open field that overlooked the city, breathing in the scent of the morning mist stuck to the blades of grass surrounding them.

Naruto brushed his fingers through the thicket, grin nostalgic. "Your mom and I used to runaway to fields like this to escape your cousin and grandpa looking for us."

Boruto shook a bug crawling onto him out of his hair, flicking it back into the shrubs. "Gee, how romantic…what does mom see in you anyways?" He drawled.

"…Sometimes I still ask myself that question too." He mumbled, making Boruto study him more earnestly.

Naruto sighed, leaning back to glance up to the sky. "You and Hima have a lot easier of a life than what your mother and I went through. The reason it's so hard to find pictures of me from when I was younger is because my parents died while away on service. I spent a lot of my childhood feeling alone even when I eventually found the support of adults."

Boruto felt his stomach clench, warily eyeing him. The smile hadn't left his face, but it had softened considerably.

"I met your mom around high school, at the time I still liked do similar petty pranks like you or worse depending on my mood. Her dad never approved of me talking to her and it never really occurred to me that the reason she spent so much time around me was because she liked me." Naruto went on.

Boruto snorted lightly, reminded of how oblivious his father could be even now with stories his parent's friends and particularly his grandpa told him. "You don't say?"

Naruto chuckled, nudging him gently. "Yeah, yeah, I figured things out eventually…considering you and Hima are here!"

The look of sheer disgust he sent him makes that remark all the more worth it.

"Anyways, pass me that photo you have of your mother and me hiding in your pocket. We'll go on a tour of Konoha, go over the old and new." Naruto stated as his laughter calmed down and he stood up.

Its obvious Boruto was a bit skeptical of his explanation the more they walked around town, weaving through alleyways and worn buildings weren't what he envisioned from the picture or how their day would go.

But Naruto abruptly stops just as they head into a new path and before he can complain at him their going nowhere he gapes at the site of before them. The outside of the club has the same club 81 logo from the picture, except in a golden cursive. It's still too early in the day for the club to be open, but the morning light that reflects off the windows and walls of the upscale style of architecture of the building is something he's only seen in movies or online.

"The club's expanded a lot and changed its design over the years, but at the end of the day it's still a nightclub the rich, the poor, and everyone in between like to socialize and hook up in…just like Jiraiya wanted." Naruto brought up.

"Who's Jiraiya?" Boruto asked. The name sounded familiar enough, though only blurry images came to mind in trying to put the name to a face.

And for the second time that morning, a tightness crept up his chest at seeing his dad's soft grin.

Because behind it now they both knew it was probably just an act.

"Ah, that's right. I haven't shared much stories with you about him either. He was my old mentor and the original owner of this club. He passed away a couple of years before you were born." Naruto related.

Boruto stared at his dad long and hard, fidgeting between wanting to say more to somehow comfort him or otherwise keep quiet. During their last major argument, he had told him he wished Sasuke was his dad simply for said man to tell him he was spoiled, bratty, and rude to those who cared the most about him not knowing the circumstances they've been through.

It stung and ached at the time to hear that, but…

'Dad's experienced so much more that he's been trying to hide. Every time I insulted him or snapped at him, how much was I really hurting him?'

"Dad?" Boruto grumbled.

Naruto looked away from the building, frowning at his wayward expression. "What's wrong Bolt? You don't look good; are you feeling sick?"

Boruto shook his head, swallowing his pride as he stepped forward and looked at him straight on. Cerulean eyes studied him in concern, making his guilt weigh heavier. "I'm sorry."

Naruto cocked his head in confusion, frown increasing. "For what?"

'Ugh, is he being serious or messing with me?!' Boruto wanted to ask, but sighed and continued on. "For everything."

Naruto pursed his lips, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Boruto squirmed, taking his long silence for him planning out his punishment until he grabbed for his arm and swerved him into a hug.

"Hey, q-quit it! You smell like old ramen!" Boruto complains, making him only squeeze tighter until he gives in to hug him back.

And he quietly admits to himself that the tight feeling in his chest is gone as he lets Naruto ruffle his hair affectionately when he lets him go.

"Hey, let's circle around the city and I can tell you more stories until lunch time; then afterwards we can head over to Ichiraku's! I still have one big final surprise we can do that I'm sure you'll be up for to end the day off!" Naruto suggested.

Boruto perked up from his embarrassment, nodding in agreement. "Sounds good to me!"

-X-

'Damn it, how did I let my stupid old man fool me like this?!' Boruto berated himself, spraying his once signature graffiti with more soap and water until the ink finally started to drip down onto the concrete below.

"And I nor you are going anywhere until they're all gone. High officials from neighboring cities are coming in early next week, don't you want your hometown to look decent to them?" Naruto asked from beside him.

Boruto merely shrugged in response.

"Should've made those copies you wanted to blackmail me with while you had the chance, huh? Not that it really matters considering most everyone already knows that your mom and I used Club 81 back in its prime anyways!" Naruto chimed on.

Boruto growled, the tips of his ears going red at his statement as he caught Sarada's cheeky stare from amongst the crowd of their peers. "Why the hell did you have to invite everyone here to watch this?!"

Naruto flicked the back of his head at his curse, pointing back to the only half cleaned wall. "Don't talk that way to me. You're the one who wanted an audience to see you work; now you're getting it!"

He stiffened at his bitter tone, silently returning back to his scrubbing until he spoke up again. "Hmm, Sarada keeps staring at you a lot; you and she aren't…? Well, if you do try anything I would be careful of Sasuke and Sakura too for that matter."

Maybe if he started to bang his head into the wall, Naruto would stop spouting off embarrassing things.

"This is the most interesting form of punishment I've seen Naruto give Bolt in a while." Sakura remarked to Hinata watching from the side.

Hinata laughed lightly, sending Naruto a knowing grin he sent back. "The story behind this all is even more unusual than past reprimands we've given him."

Boruto stretched out the kink in his arms, finishing cleaning up one mark as he sprayed the last of the colorful mix down into the nearby gutters.

Only 5 more to go now. Great…

"Was the mystery behind that photo worth it?" Sarada mouths to him and he quickly mouths a shut up back when Naruto isn't looking.

It might end up being tomorrow if he doesn't pick up the pace cleaning all this up.

"Oh, and one last thing Bolt." Naruto remarks, halting him midway in moving on to wash his second piece.

Naruto pats his head at his weary glance, rolling up his sleeves as he grabs another sponge from the bucket to help him.

Boruto watched him put more vigor into his scrubbing, challenging him to match his pace as they get the second work cleaned in half the time he took on the first one alone.

"Remind your mother to save me a seat on Saturday for your big match. Think of all this work you're putting into your arms as a mini workout!" Naruto adds jokingly, between scrubs.

His breathe stills in surprise for a moment that he even remembers him having brought up the event to him weeks ago before he quickly nods in return happily.

If today is anything to go by, he's learned there's much more to his dad than what he initially thought.

He's actually a little bit cool.

"When we get home though Hinata can start on her side of the punishment! I'm thinking a month without your electronics will be good, I'll have to discuss it more with her." Naruto considered, briefly glancing at Hinata for feedback who nodded in return.

Boruto blanched, slowing down considerably at trying to finish as his parents sent each other amused smiles.

'Never mind; scratch that last thought.'

~x~

Thank you to all my reviewers, readers, and those that favorited and followed! I appreciate all of the support with this story. This was my favorite chapter to write and the one I wrote the fastest even though it's also sadly the last chapter now that I'm working on another NaruHina. It was fun writing the Uzumaki family so hope I got their interactions down well! 

Let me know your thoughts as always (because it would be a nice early birthday gift wink wink nudge nudge! lol though it's not until the 19th) and thanks/shout-outs from the last chapter to shero56, maxridelover, lodol25, Elphaba818, Rose Tiger, Breakthrough92, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, guest, gio08, nightwind83, and WindyCitySlayer1


	20. Bonus Chapter: The Lonely Home

Bonus Chapter: The Lonely Home

"I'm home!" Naruto calls out.

He doesn't get a response, not that he expects one.

Because it's always been like this, returning to this empty home.

The clock ticks distantly from the kitchen as he trudges in, tossing his backpack into a pile of clothes nearby.

'Guess its ramen again.' He decides, fridge a stockpile of instant ramen and other fast food assortments.

The power flickers on and off as he tries to jump start the stove, searching for a clean pot, bowl, and spoon among the dirty dishes.

'I could tell the landlady again about the power issue, but…' 

What was the point?

She'd never fix it, muttering it was pointless to fix up his place out of all the rooms she rented.

And he didn't blame her.

He glanced around as his noodles heated, paint on the walls chipping with age, showing a murky brown underneath. Dust gathered at practically every corner of the house, the highest places strung with silvery webs.

The worst though was his fellow 'roommates', the roaches and bugs that called this place 'home' too.

It was the same monotonous cycle, go to school, pull a prank, get detention, and then head home to repeat again tomorrow. His homeroom teacher Iruka occasionally stopped by to check on him, but other than that it was just him.

"I guess it could be worse!" He mused, thinking over his situation a bit more brightly.

His parents had left him enough money to get by at least, he had enough to pay the rent, buy a few meals, and usually have leftovers to buy an occasional game or something.

But…

He slurped his noodles absentmindedly, glancing at the empty seats at the table beside him.

He's alone.

The noodles grow cold.

He spends the rest of the evening busying himself with chores, the water takes hours to heat to do the laundry (perhaps the heater is broken again too), but he gets everything relatively done by 9 o clock.

"Looks like we'll be having some showers overnight, they'll be passing over Konoha around 1:00 am or so, be prepared for-"He clicked off the TV with a sigh.

Drops leak in through the holes in the roof, pattering around him in the darkness.

He'll patch the gaps again tomorrow if the roof isn't too damp and perhaps bring up his complaints once more to the landlady. She'll have to listen if he brings along one of his 'roommates' after all…

Though for now all he can do is curl under his sheets and wish he was anywhere but here.

-X-

"Eww, he's the last person I would want to be paired up with!" One girl whispers.

"Have you seen the bruises and scratches on his arms, what type of fights has he been getting into? I feel sorry for whoever got stuck with him." Another whispers.

Hinata bites her lip, trying to tune out the gossip.

Even if said gossip involves Naruto.

Middle school hadn't been kind to Naruto and high school wasn't turning out to be much better either.

She fisted the scrap paper of the name she had drawn for their history assignment. It was a simple enough task for the beginning of the year, write a paper together over a famous Konoha hero and explain what they contributed to today's society.

Carefully she waited until the girls left the room, unfurling the paper to read said name once more.

'Naruto Uzumaki.' 

No amount of splashing cold water on her cheeks seems to make the blush staining her face go away. So many of the girls in their class had wanted Sasuke to ogle over or even Shikamaru for at least his brains, but all Naruto usually did during class was sleep, doodle, or at his worst, mess with the teacher's lesson plan.

"This is your chance to talk to him." She tells her reflection.

"Giving yourself a good pep talk?" Sakura asks, coming into view and she nearly falls back in surprise.

Green eyes sharpen in alarm as she helps her up to a full standing position, brightening as she drew fingers through her fuchsia locks.

"You cut your hair." Hinata realizes, lilac eyes widening.

Sakura nods, twirling a strand self-consciously. "Yeah, figured it was time for a change. Though Ino plans to keep growing hers out. Says she knows how to 'get all the guys' when you have longer hair."

They laughed in unison at that, heading back into the halls. Students hurriedly bustle past them to head home or to clubs, afternoon heat piercing as they head outside.

Sakura's gaze drifts to the crumpled paper in her hands and her face reddens all over again at the sly grin coming up.

"So…was said pep talk about an annoying blonde by any chance?" Her victorious grin says it all.

"…P-Perhaps." She mumbled back, blinking as a thought occurred to her.

"Sakura, you've been paired with Naruto in group projects before; what's it like working with him?" Hinata questioned.

Sakura pursed her lips, thinking back to the last times she had been partnered with him in a group.

"He procrastinates." She said after a while.

Her stomach dropped. Wonderful.

She smiled, clutching her book bag closer. "He gets the job done when push comes to shove though!"

And it's all the meaningful advice she can give her before she heads off to her judo class. Sakura is very much a go-getter, freshman week was only days ago and already she has busied herself with joining health clubs, sports, and still keeping up with her classes.

All of them have really, Tenten taking an interest in a club that covered assortments of weapons used by warriors over the years and Ino curious over an elective that covered mind/spiritual awareness.

'You should have no special activities to attend to after school. Come straight home with Neji or one of the attendants.' 

Her father's words echo like a warning and her heartbeat quickens.

But this time she has an excuse.

She's heard Naruto likes to hang around near the back of the school, by the side of the old tennis courts.

Why there, she thinks until she notices nobody likes to come around here.

He doesn't notice her approach, cerulean eyes drifting across the grassy fields. He sits under the shade of the building, away from some of the heat as he keeps his hands buried in his pockets.

'Okay, okay. You've been watching him for long enough. Just say hello.' 

She took a step forward, pausing when she heard him speak.

"Ugh, I don't want to go home just yet. Not to that crappy hole in the wall, maybe I'll go see what Menma is up too. I bet we can pull our twin prank off again to get something good." He grumbled.

Her stomach twists, what was wrong with his home? Rumors stated that he lived alone, though she hadn't thought this one out of all of them would be real.

He starts to stand, still not noticing her. Turning to head the opposite way…

"W-Wait!"

And Naruto stopped, cocking his head back.

It's the first time he's truly looked at her, she feels her face burning as he stepped closer.

"Huh? Were you talking to me?" He questions, pointing at himself.

Hinata numbly nods, pushing herself to continue. "I-I well I drew your name from the hat for our history project."

Naruto blinked, clearly having no idea what she's talking about.

"You know, the one where you said history wasn't important since everyone involved was already dead?" She went on.

He chuckled then. "Oh yeah, that."

All of the Hyuga had these characteristic pale purple eyes he realized. Hinata at least though, didn't have her cousin's personality it seemed.

She twiddled her thumbs, reddening under his scrutiny while he considered asking her if she was beginning to have a heat stroke.

"U-Um, so I was wondering if you wanted to get started working on it? It's due by next Friday."

There was no way he would ever be allowed to be within the Hyuga's walls, stiffening at the idea of their harsh glares. The librarian wasn't too fond of him either at Konoha's main library after he had knocked over all those bookshelves…

That only left them with…his home.

Naruto scratched a hand through his blonde locks, gritting his teeth in preparation for the rejection.

"Well, err we can go to my house if you want?"

Girls were repulsed by the very idea of him, clothes old and tearing can't compare to Sasuke's supposed always in fashion despite him constantly wearing the same dark blue or black designs no matter the weather.

At least orange was more interesting!

'And anyways, they won't like his clothes so much after they see what Akamaru did to them…'

"Sure!" She surprises him, breaking him from his thoughts.

She giggles lightly at his stunned expression, words failing him for once.

This girl is weird, actually wanting to hang out with him?

His heartbeat quickens and he wonders why.

-X-

'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! How could I forget how messy my apartment is?!' Naruto berates himself, thinking of just about every curse word known to man.

Hinata is blissfully unaware next to him, keeping up with his stride.

"Uh, I have to warn you; I don't exactly stay on the best side of town." He grumbles.

"That's okay." She replies, smiling gently. Leaves flutter by her violet hair she brushes away as they pass over another set of trees.

A bug crawls by as soon as he clicks his door open.

Hinata gasps and he winces his eyes shut, waiting for her turn around. Seconds pass and he soon opens them, surprised to see she's stepped inside.

"You weren't kidding." She breathed.

For once, he feels embarrassed over his mess.

Hinata turned back to look at him, hands fisting the rim of her skirt. "I-I can help you clean up this place if you want."

Naruto immediately shook his head, pushing aside empty cans and bowls at the table. A musty scent lingers from them and his face twists realizing something has expired.

"I guess I can use some help." He considers.

They spend the next hours doing more cleaning than studying.

But Hinata promises to return tomorrow and for once, he looks a bit more forward to the end of the day when she meets him again at the back of the school.

"So who would you like to do the topic on, I know a lot of people are picking Hashirama or Tobirama since they were the leading founders and first mayors of the city." Hinata noted.

Naruto shrugged, leaning his head back against the couch. It should be somebody hardly anyone in the class knew, at least to make their paper stand out.

He snapped his fingers, sitting up.

"How about Jiraiya?!"

Hinata frowned, twirling her pencil.

"Isn't he a bit…perverted?"

'More like a lot.'

He had traveled with him last summer to finally get away from Konoha, from the hateful stares, from constantly coming back to this empty house…

"I'm thinking of building these nightclubs around the city, you know, cool relaxing places people can hang out in, woman can be naked or err I mean people can let loose from the stresses society places on them." Jiraiya explained.

Naruto barely looked up from his drink, knowing where this was going. "Look old fart; I'm not exactly what you'd call 'popular' at school. I don't know any chicks I could send your way."

He'd scowled at his comment for a moment, frowning when he took in his words.

"Naruto, you're not alone. You have plenty of good friends based on the stories you've told me." He stated.

Naruto said nothing, stirring at the melting ice in his cup.

He could feel his lecherous grin on him, nudging him curiously.

"Ah come on, surely there's one girl that keeps drifting to mind when you least expect it, huh? I can see your ears getting red; I'm right, aren't I?!"

A couple of waitresses looked their way and laughed and Naruto wished he could sink into the ground.

Why did he agree to travel with this moron again?

Jiraiya placed a wad of cash on the table, beckoning for him to follow along. This was the fourth casino/lounge place they had stepped into and he was losing faith in the idea this was all truly just for 'researching ideas and places.'

"I still need a good name for this place I plan to build, got any ideas?" He turned to Naruto.

He waved his arms up defensively, wanting no part in this. "How about Jiraiya's porn hub, since that's all it will really going to be used for?"

Jiraiya gave him a flat look, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Let's be serious here, you said it yourself Konoha is becoming a fast paced city with all those new high rise apartments and schools coming up. Surely amid all that there's some red light district…"

"The 81st street is becoming populated with things like that, maybe Club 81 would work." He mused, distractedly window shopping for any restaurants close by. It's past noon and they barely ate any breakfast.

Unbeknownst to him, Jiraiya beamed.

At the time, he truly hadn't had any girl in mind like Jiraiya constantly pestered him on.

But now…

He watched from the corner of his eye as Hinata scribbled out notes, stiffening when he felt his face redden when she looked his way.

She was blushing too, leaning a bit closer to him.

The house was warmer, brighter every time she was here.

-X-

"Can you stay? The night I mean?" Naruto asked slowly.

Hinata squirmed, breathe quickening. He's never asked her to stay, always allowing her to leave under the guise of nightfall from any prying eyes.

Hiashi is out of town on a business trip for the whole weekend, bringing Neji and Hanabi in tow to prime them up as future leaders in the Hyuga family.

It seems like a punishment from her standpoint. Stubbornly not backing down to major in Nutrition once she starts college in the fall.

He grimaced at her pausing, wondering what's going through her mind.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. We can still-"

"I-If you're okay with it!" Hinata interrupts him quickly before her nerves fall apart. People talk, but nobody knows they still meet up here like this…

Naruto mentions at times Jiraiya encouraging them to visit the newly opened Club 81, however prominent figures like to use that club to keep their more privy secrets from the public's eye.

Including well known Hyuga members.

She reached out to squeeze his hand, allowing him to tug her along. His house has changed so much in years that have passed, furniture and appliances updated with her help. This place he once hated is now the place he looks forward to the most.

He tumbles them to his bed, hovering over her.

He leans downward, intermixed with warmth and love is the new spark of lust in his eyes.

And when his lips finds hers, fingers start moving to explore.

She doesn't stop him.

-X-

They have to move.

This place he's called home for over a decade or so, he's leaving.

It's a cool fall morning, Naruto suggesting they eat at the park. The city is array with the mix of orange and scarlet leaves lining the streets. Hinata sips from her cocoa, smiling as a couple passes with a stroller in tow. She has another appointment today at the clinic, in just four months Boruto will be here.

From newlyweds to parenthood.

Naruto's hand curls around hers and she beams, leaning into him. Even with all their growing priorities, they still make time to eat breakfast or lunch together.

"I've talked to different real estate agents regarding houses close to the city with at least three bedrooms. It will help to not have too long of a commute to work and be able to drop the kids off on the way as well. They said we can go house browsing on Saturday if you're up for it." Naruto hummed.

His gaze drifts to Hinata's growing stomach, smiling beneath the palm of his hand.

She truly is pregnant with their child.

Hinata let out a low sigh with a nod, breathe fading into the crisp air. "I can't believe somebody actually wants to buy your old place. You're a true celebrity now with how popular Club 81's gotten in the past few years. Or maybe since it's rumored you'll be Kakashi's successor as mayor that have people wanting to stay in the place you once lived!"

Naruto scratched his cheek in embarrassment, it was strange. His twelve year old self would have craved for this type of attention…

At close to twenty four now though, they were both set in jobs that made them leave the club life behind, relationship obvious to everyone even when they had tried to hide it within the halls.

"It was inevitable we would have to sell it, that apartment had only bedroom." He notes, staring at a recent photo Hinata took of the exterior.

A fresh coat of paint makes it shine in the sunlight, holes and cracks in scattered places have been replaced with newer and fancier material.

Boxes are piled up as they return home. If his hunch is correct that they can settle a deal this weekend, they'll be out of here by next week.

On moving day he makes one final trip around the house, scratching a mark into the wood in his bedroom.

-X-

"I thought you said you met mom in early college/late high school and kept meeting on and off after that? This story was made up; wasn't it?!" Boruto grunts, arching a brow.

Naruto chuckled weakly as Himawari shushed him with a glare, making him slink back down at avoiding her wrath.

She was one who had wanted to hear the story in the first place, lies or not.

"Ah well, I may have exaggerated and changed up a few parts since it's been so long, but that is essentially how we met and moved into this home!"

Hinata laughs, nodding that the story is about right, of course minus the more intimate scenes Naruto purposely cut out.

Bolt narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. "Oh yeah? If this story is true old man, take us to that marking you put in house. Surely it would still be there."

"…But it's been over ten years." Naruto retorted.

Himawari clapped her hands eagerly, following her brother's thinking. "Can we papa? You played hooky with Bolt, it's my turn now, right?"

She gives her infamous pout and he slinks back, wondering if Shikamaru will torture him with more paperwork tonight or in the morning.

"Okay, what the heck?"

The streets are damp from the morning rains, Himawari hopping through puddles in her yellow rain boots, Boruto reluctantly tags along, stating it's only because he has nothing better to do.

Naruto's old apartment is abandoned, previous storms having damaged the interior too much. The current land owner still lets them explore, memories coming to life among scattered debris.

Himawari carefully stepped around broken glass, dust dancing in the sunlight. "Mama, isn't this house lonely without anyone in it?"

"No, this place is filled with recollections of all the people that have lived here. Before and after Naruto's presence here." She replied warmly making Himawari smile.

Indeed remnants of past owners can be found in piles, a cracked decorative plate that could usually only be found in Suna, a torn up doll from a shop that existed years ago…

Boruto observed as his dad bent down to a particular worn wall in the bedroom, hovering over him.

"You found it?" He asked in disbelief, grinning at his nod.

The four gathered around the simple message:

Naruto and Hinata's home Age 18-24.

-x-

So Naruto might have tweaked or changed a few things lol. He went around telling his children the other stuff that went on between him and Hinata within those walls. Really enjoyed writing this quick little one-shot/bonus chapter. Thanks for reading, let me know if you have any thoughts/suggestions!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow! :)


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